Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Has $2.71 Million Stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Equifax were worth $2,708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Weitz Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Equifax by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. now owns 153,500 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $37,959,000 after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth $917,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in Equifax by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 330,453 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,718,000 after acquiring an additional 8,668 shares in the last quarter. Bridgefront Capital LLC acquired a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $1,274,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Equifax by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 102,136 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $25,257,000 after purchasing an additional 14,629 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equifax news, EVP Rodolfo O. Ploder sold 14,097 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.45, for a total value of $3,178,168.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 75,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,126,083.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.45, for a total transaction of $13,143,735.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,623,649. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rodolfo O. Ploder sold 14,097 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.45, for a total transaction of $3,178,168.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 75,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,126,083.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 83,635 shares of company stock valued at $18,969,282. Insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $239.74 on Friday. Equifax Inc. has a 12-month low of $159.95 and a 12-month high of $275.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $235.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $246.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.57.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The credit services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.06. Equifax had a net margin of 10.42% and a return on equity of 19.08%. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. Equifax’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on EFX shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Equifax from $275.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 19th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $276.00 to $241.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $291.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $270.19.

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.