Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 6.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,448 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 8,500 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Equifax worth $43,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Equifax by 76.1% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Equifax by 138.2% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE EFX opened at $258.43 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $265.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $32.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.57. Equifax Inc. has a one year low of $213.02 and a one year high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EFX. BNP Paribas upgraded Equifax from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $311.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total value of $15,770,648.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 109,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,532,909.67. This represents a 34.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total transaction of $143,474.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock worth $16,187,044 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

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.