Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 2,681 Shares of Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lowered its position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 16,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,681 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Equifax were worth $4,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the second quarter worth about $334,521,000. Spear Holdings RSC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the third quarter valued at about $76,754,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Equifax by 1.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,966,903 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,881,966,000 after purchasing an additional 258,572 shares in the last quarter. Greenhouse Funds LLLP bought a new position in shares of Equifax during the second quarter valued at about $59,935,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Equifax by 8.9% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,726,990 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $447,928,000 after purchasing an additional 140,427 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Equifax Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $208.07 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $215.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $230.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Equifax, Inc. has a 12-month low of $199.98 and a 12-month high of $281.03. The company has a market cap of $25.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.56.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Equifax’s payout ratio is presently 37.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on EFX. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Equifax from $245.00 to $234.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Bank of America decreased their target price on Equifax from $285.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Equifax from $285.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Equifax from $295.00 to $253.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.14.

About Equifax

Equifax Inc (NYSE: EFX) is a global data, analytics and technology company that specializes in consumer and commercial credit reporting, decisioning tools and identity solutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax is one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States and provides credit information and related services to lenders, employers, governments and consumers worldwide.

The company’s offerings include consumer credit reports and scores, credit monitoring and identity protection services, and a range of business-oriented products for risk management, fraud detection and compliance.