Czech National Bank Acquires 1,670 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,876 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Equifax were worth $6,849,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 3,726 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $903,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its position in Equifax by 13.5% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 371 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in Equifax by 3.0% in the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,665 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its position in Equifax by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,936 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $863,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of EFX stock opened at $251.95 on Wednesday. Equifax Inc. has a 52 week low of $213.02 and a 52 week high of $309.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $258.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $272.91. The stock has a market cap of $31.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.99, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.57.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.67%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other Equifax news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total transaction of $272,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,075,535.48. The trade was a 8.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total value of $15,770,648.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,532,909.67. The trade was a 34.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $16,187,044. 1.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Equifax from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $275.00 to $320.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Monday, October 28th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $325.00 to $321.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $360.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $311.81.

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.