Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Purchased by Versor Investments LP

Versor Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 624.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 6,505 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,607 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in Equifax were worth $1,658,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its stake in Equifax by 98.7% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the third quarter valued at approximately $73,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on EFX shares. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $301.13.

Equifax Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $244.22 on Thursday. Equifax Inc. has a 52-week low of $213.02 and a 52-week high of $309.63. The business’s 50 day moving average is $256.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.14. The firm has a market cap of $30.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.56, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. Research analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.30%.

Equifax Company Profile

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.