Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Takes Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 154 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $39,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of Equifax by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,702 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 817 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Equifax by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Equifax by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 799 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equifax Trading Up 0.3 %

EFX opened at $244.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.27 billion, a PE ratio of 50.53, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $252.95 and a 200-day moving average of $265.78. Equifax Inc. has a 52 week low of $213.02 and a 52 week high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EFX. Wolfe Research cut Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus cut Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.56.

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.