AKO Capital LLP Purchases 176,434 Shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

AKO Capital LLP boosted its stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 32.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 726,246 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 176,434 shares during the quarter. Equifax accounts for 2.6% of AKO Capital LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. AKO Capital LLP’s holdings in Equifax were worth $185,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 98.7% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 151 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on EFX. BNP Paribas cut shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $320.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Argus downgraded Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.56.

Equifax Stock Up 0.9 %

EFX stock opened at $243.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Equifax Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.02 and a 1-year high of $309.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $251.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $264.26.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.30%.

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.