Metis Global Partners LLC Has $1.26 Million Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Metis Global Partners LLC trimmed its stake in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,095 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 371 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Equifax were worth $1,260,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Smithfield Trust Co raised its position in shares of Equifax by 55.5% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 199 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EFX opened at $234.30 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $249.02 and a 200 day moving average of $235.68. The stock has a market cap of $28.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.54. Equifax Inc. has a 12 month low of $159.95 and a 12 month high of $275.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The credit services provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.42% and a return on equity of 19.08%. Equifax’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Equifax Inc. will post 7.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.74%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.45, for a total transaction of $13,143,735.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,623,649. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 58,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.45, for a total value of $13,143,735.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 109,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,623,649. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Rodolfo O. Ploder sold 14,097 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.45, for a total transaction of $3,178,168.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 75,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,126,083.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EFX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI raised shares of Equifax from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $210.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Equifax from $275.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $291.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Equifax currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $270.19.

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.