DRW Securities LLC Invests $299,000 in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

DRW Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,016 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $299,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Equifax by 76,913.8% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 960,362 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $282,212,000 after purchasing an additional 959,115 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Equifax by 4.9% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,276,798 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,036,952,000 after acquiring an additional 200,665 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its position in Equifax by 127.1% in the second quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 350,356 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $84,947,000 after acquiring an additional 196,106 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Equifax by 27.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 606,969 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $147,166,000 after acquiring an additional 130,249 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 5,123.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 115,114 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,827,000 after purchasing an additional 112,910 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $261.19 on Thursday. Equifax Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $209.68 and a fifty-two week high of $309.63. The business’s fifty day moving average is $276.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $268.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $32.37 billion, a PE ratio of 58.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.59.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a return on equity of 18.56% and a net margin of 10.07%. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equifax news, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,781.83. The trade was a 4.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This trade represents a 8.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $16,187,044 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on EFX shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $315.00 to $286.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $360.00 price target for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Equifax from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Equifax from $290.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, October 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $306.74.

Equifax Company 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.