Allianz SE Makes New Investment in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Allianz SE bought a new stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,249 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,595,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its holdings in Equifax by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $240.37 on Friday. Equifax Inc. has a 1 year low of $213.02 and a 1 year high of $309.63. The company has a market capitalization of $29.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $251.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $263.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (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 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 32.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EFX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas lowered Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.56.

Equifax 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.