Nicola Wealth Management LTD. Acquires 13,000 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Nicola Wealth Management LTD. boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 27.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,000 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,000 shares during the period. Equifax comprises approximately 1.6% of Nicola Wealth Management LTD.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Nicola Wealth Management LTD.’s holdings in Equifax were worth $15,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the third quarter worth $29,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Spire Wealth Management lifted its stake in Equifax by 98.7% during the fourth 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. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Equifax during the third quarter worth $73,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equifax Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:EFX opened at $244.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $30.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Equifax Inc. has a 12-month low of $213.02 and a 12-month high of $309.63. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $255.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $271.01.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued 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 return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. Analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on EFX shares. Wolfe Research cut Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Equifax from $286.00 to $279.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays dropped their price target on Equifax from $335.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Three 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, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.