Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Bought by Riverwater Partners LLC

Riverwater Partners LLC raised its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 19.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,509 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC’s holdings in Equifax were worth $385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Equifax by 98.7% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Trading Down 9.3 %

Shares of EFX stock opened at $210.30 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $248.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $261.59. The firm has a market cap of $26.25 billion, a PE ratio of 43.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $209.89 and a 1-year high of $309.63. 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 (NYSE:EFX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. On average, analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s payout ratio is 32.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EFX has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Equifax from $321.00 to $313.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $294.50.

Equifax 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.