Burt Wealth Advisors Reduces Holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Burt Wealth Advisors lessened its stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,103 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 205 shares during the quarter. Burt Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Equifax were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Equifax in the 3rd quarter valued at about $234,000. Stephens Inc. AR raised its holdings in Equifax by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,003 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 36,979 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,867,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the third quarter worth $200,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $244.38 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $255.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.01. Equifax Inc. has a 52-week low of $213.02 and a 52-week high of $309.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.58.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EFX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $301.13.

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.