Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Acquires 885 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 19,931 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Equifax were worth $5,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the third quarter valued at $73,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $245.19 on Thursday. Equifax Inc. has a 12 month low of $213.02 and a 12 month high of $309.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $255.49 and a 200-day moving average of $270.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.76, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced 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 net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. Sell-side analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on EFX shares. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays lowered their price target on Equifax from $335.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $301.13.

About Equifax

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.