Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Buys Shares of 40,700 Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 40,700 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $11,960,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position 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 buying an additional 200,665 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 37.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,233,744 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $950,268,000 after purchasing an additional 880,162 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 2.4% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,044,561 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $738,184,000 after purchasing an additional 70,091 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Equifax by 76,913.8% during the third 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. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Equifax by 13.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 767,136 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $225,431,000 after purchasing an additional 88,895 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Price Performance

EFX stock opened at $261.17 on Wednesday. Equifax Inc. has a one year low of $213.02 and a one year high of $309.63. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $272.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $268.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. The company has a market capitalization of $32.37 billion, a PE ratio of 58.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.57.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.76 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,304 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total transaction of $15,770,648.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 109,183 shares in the company, valued at $29,532,909.67. This represents a 34.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total transaction of $272,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at $3,075,535.48. The trade was a 8.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 59,855 shares of company stock worth $16,187,044. 1.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on EFX shares. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a research note on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $360.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $306.74.

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.