Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 51,545 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. trimmed its stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 86.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,380 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 51,545 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Equifax were worth $2,135,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of EFX. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 6.5% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $447,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its holdings in Equifax by 271.5% in the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 977 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 714 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Renaissance Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the third quarter valued at about $206,000. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the third quarter worth about $222,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Equifax has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $301.69.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. The trade was a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

Equifax stock opened at $248.59 on Monday. Equifax Inc. has a twelve month low of $213.02 and a twelve month high of $309.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.47, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.58. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $261.12 and its 200 day moving average is $274.92.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

About Equifax

Equifax Inc operates as a data, analytics, and technology company. The company operates through three segments: Workforce Solutions, U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), and International. The Workforce Solutions segment offers services that enables customers to verify income, employment, educational history, criminal justice data, healthcare professional licensure, and sanctions of people in the United States; and employer customers with services that assist them in complying with and automating payroll-related and human resource management processes throughout the entire cycle of the employment relationship.