Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Acquired by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,665 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 285 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Equifax were worth $2,111,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 1,920.0% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its position in Equifax by 505.0% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $263.79 on Monday. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $199.98 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63. The stock has a market cap of $32.76 billion, a PE ratio of 54.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.63. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $255.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.32.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.08. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. Analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This is a boost from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is 40.90%.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The stock was 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total value of $518,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 65,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,887,101.60. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on EFX shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Equifax in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Equifax from $288.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target (down previously from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $293.75.

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.