Carmignac Gestion increased its position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX – Free Report) by 94.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 710,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 346,080 shares during the period. Equifax comprises approximately 1.4% of Carmignac Gestion’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Carmignac Gestion owned approximately 0.60% of Equifax worth $112,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the second quarter valued at $463,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Equifax by 49.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $927,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Equifax during the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,028,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its stake in Equifax by 1,253.8% during the 4th quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 24,978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,420,000 after acquiring an additional 23,133 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,098,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of Equifax from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $214.00 to $235.00 in a report on Friday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $230.00 to $210.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $182.00 target price (up from $173.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America lowered their price target on Equifax from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Equifax from $245.00 to $232.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.16.
Insider Activity at Equifax
In other Equifax news, CEO Mark Begor sold 37,791 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total transaction of $6,506,098.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,808,582.40. This trade represents a 12.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total transaction of $845,820.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 69,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,979,577.80. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.
Equifax Price Performance
Equifax stock traded down $5.27 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $171.78. The stock had a trading volume of 1,437,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,709,317. Equifax, Inc. has a one year low of $150.74 and a one year high of $271.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.31. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $178.90 and its 200 day moving average is $177.68.
Equifax (NYSE:EFX – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Equifax Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 39.37%.
Equifax Company Profile
Equifax Inc (NYSE: EFX) is a global data, analytics and technology company that specializes in consumer and commercial credit reporting, decisioning tools and identity solutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax is one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States and provides credit information and related services to lenders, employers, governments and consumers worldwide.
The company’s offerings include consumer credit reports and scores, credit monitoring and identity protection services, and a range of business-oriented products for risk management, fraud detection and compliance.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Equifax
- Tesla’s Robotaxi Launch Wasn’t the Moment Investors Expected
- Despite Post-Earnings Drop, Wall Street Analysts Eye New Highs for Broadcom Stock
- Morgan Stanley Eyes Good Things Ahead for Meta After $18 Billion Legal Settlement
- Q3 Earnings Could Be the Catalyst the Market Has Been Waiting For
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Equifax Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Equifax and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
