Equifax (NYSE:EFX) EVP Jamil Farshchi Sells 15,110 Shares of Stock

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 15,110 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.77, for a total transaction of $2,867,424.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,456,063.30. This trade represents a 27.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Equifax Stock Down 0.9%

EFX stock opened at $186.81 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $21.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.27. Equifax, Inc. has a 52 week low of $137.01 and a 52 week high of $228.67. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $166.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $176.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The credit services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 11.27% and a return on equity of 22.48%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.04 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.50 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 25th will be paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 25th. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.19%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the second quarter valued at $40,028,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 74.0% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 59,010 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,366,000 after acquiring an additional 25,091 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the second quarter valued at $463,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $107,416,000. Finally, Quantitative Investment Management LLC increased its position in Equifax by 460.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC now owns 21,518 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,415,000 after purchasing an additional 17,677 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on EFX shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Equifax from $212.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of Equifax from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.55.

About Equifax

Equifax Inc. is a global data, analytics and technology company best known as one of the major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States. The company traces its history to 1899, when it was founded as the Retail Credit Company, and adopted the Equifax name in 1975. Equifax provides consumer and business credit information, credit reports and scores, and tools for identity verification and fraud prevention. Its products also help businesses assess risk and make decisions about lending, customer relationships and marketing.