Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Acquires 1,800 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 184.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,777 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Equifax were worth $708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Equifax in the third quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth $73,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Stock Performance

NYSE EFX opened at $248.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.24, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.58. Equifax Inc. has a twelve month low of $213.02 and a twelve month high of $309.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $261.12 and a 200 day moving average of $274.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EFX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research cut shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $300.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equifax news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

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.