BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC Reduces Stock Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC cut its holdings in shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,491 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 8,149 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC owned approximately 0.07% of Equifax worth $20,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 273.3% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 112 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management raised its position in Equifax by 118.5% during the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 142 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Equifax in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Clear Street Markets LLC increased its position in Equifax by 94.4% in the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 241 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Equifax in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. 98.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of EFX opened at $200.38 on Friday. Equifax Inc. has a 1 year low of $159.95 and a 1 year high of $240.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $202.14. The stock has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a PE ratio of 47.48, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.41.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The credit services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.02). Equifax had a return on equity of 19.15% and a net margin of 10.15%. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.73 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Equifax Inc. will post 6.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is 36.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on EFX. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Equifax from $215.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 20th. TheStreet downgraded Equifax from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Equifax from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 19th. Credit Suisse Group increased their target price on Equifax from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Equifax from $204.00 to $196.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $214.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.58, for a total value of $1,166,060.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 63,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,496,372.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Bryson R. Koehler sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $2,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,662,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.58, for a total value of $1,166,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 63,011 shares in the company, valued at $10,496,372.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.57% of the company’s stock.

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.