Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Position Increased by Coalescence Partners Investment Management LP

Coalescence Partners Investment Management LP increased its position in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 73.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 82,590 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,925 shares during the period. Equifax makes up approximately 8.0% of Coalescence Partners Investment Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Coalescence Partners Investment Management LP owned about 0.07% of Equifax worth $21,048,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. Greenleaf Trust boosted 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 worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Equifax by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,012 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its position in Equifax by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 817 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Equifax by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Trading Up 3.7 %

Shares of EFX stock opened at $254.87 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $254.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.02 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The firm has a market cap of $31.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.77, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65.

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

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.61%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on EFX shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.