Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Cuts Stock Holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. reduced its position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 7.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,500 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,500 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Equifax were worth $10,838,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 1,920.0% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in Equifax by 505.0% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Equifax in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of EFX opened at $267.27 on Tuesday. Equifax Inc. has a 52-week low of $199.98 and a 52-week 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $256.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $253.36. The company has a market capitalization of $33.19 billion, a PE ratio of 55.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EFX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Equifax in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target (down from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Equifax from $288.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $293.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total transaction of $518,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,887,101.60. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.61, for a total transaction of $5,686,477.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 142,395 shares in the company, valued at $36,539,980.95. The trade was a 13.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.40% 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.