Capital Fund Management S.A. Makes New $12.62 Million Investment in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 49,533 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $12,623,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter worth about $330,400,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Equifax by 95.9% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,617,574 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $412,239,000 after purchasing an additional 791,730 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $113,896,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Equifax by 34.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 863,718 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $251,480,000 after buying an additional 220,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,228,741 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $313,213,000 after buying an additional 187,460 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

EFX opened at $220.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The business’s 50 day moving average is $240.09 and its 200-day moving average is $257.56. The stock has a market cap of $27.50 billion, a PE ratio of 45.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. Equifax Inc. has a twelve month low of $199.98 and a twelve month high of $309.63.

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

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 32.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EFX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Equifax in a research note on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective on the stock. BNP Paribas cut shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on Equifax from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $260.00 target price (down previously from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.13.

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.