Berkeley Inc Acquires 19,374 Shares of Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Berkeley Inc boosted its stake in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 165.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 31,053 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 19,374 shares during the quarter. Equifax makes up approximately 2.6% of Berkeley Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Berkeley Inc’s holdings in Equifax were worth $7,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in EFX. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Equifax by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,564 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,184,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 1,433 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its holdings in Equifax by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 2,126 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Equifax by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,723 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $966,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in Equifax by 82.9% during the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 128 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equifax Stock Down 5.0%

NYSE EFX opened at $208.48 on Wednesday. Equifax, Inc. has a 1 year low of $199.98 and a 1 year high of $281.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.52 billion, a PE ratio of 39.56, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The business’s 50-day moving average is $215.00 and its 200 day moving average is $232.69.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.10. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 11.08%.The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $285.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Equifax from $285.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $271.00 to $266.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $271.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 4,925 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.94, for a total transaction of $1,176,779.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,405,634.16. This trade represents a 11.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 27,959 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.10, for a total value of $6,461,324.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 142,934 shares in the company, valued at $33,032,047.40. This trade represents a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 54,270 shares of company stock valued at $12,580,837. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.