Weitz Investment Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Weitz Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 188,500 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,500 shares during the quarter. Equifax comprises about 2.5% of Weitz Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Weitz Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Equifax were worth $48,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Spire Wealth Management grew 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on EFX shares. Argus lowered shares of Equifax from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Equifax from $340.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Equifax from $335.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Four equities 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.56.

Equifax Stock Up 0.1 %

EFX stock opened at $243.89 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $30.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.65. Equifax Inc. has a twelve month low of $213.02 and a twelve month high of $309.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $250.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $262.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.12. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.13% and a net margin of 10.63%. Analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.30%.

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.