Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Stake Raised by Aviso Financial Inc.

Aviso Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 33.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,359 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares during the period. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in Equifax were worth $1,111,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its position in Equifax by 98.7% in 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. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Stock Performance

EFX opened at $235.96 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $253.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $268.00. 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.

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

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus lowered Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Equifax from $284.00 to $281.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Gordon Haskett raised Equifax to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Equifax has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.47.

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.