Choreo LLC Invests $609,000 in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Choreo LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,561 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $609,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prudential PLC boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 80.4% in the second quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 2,570 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $623,000 after buying an additional 1,145 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its stake in Equifax by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at about $618,000. Chris Bulman Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the second quarter worth approximately $124,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $306.75 on Friday. Equifax Inc. has a 12 month low of $159.95 and a 12 month high of $308.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $37.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $282.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.19.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The credit services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.09. Equifax had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 18.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 7.33 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on EFX shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Equifax from $263.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Equifax from $273.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Barclays upped their target price on Equifax from $300.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Equifax from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Equifax from $250.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $301.59.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, EVP Carla Chaney sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.85, for a total value of $845,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,065,118.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Equifax 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.