Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Holdings in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 105.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,603,415 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 823,116 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Equifax were worth $347,909,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EFX. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 49.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at $204,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 14.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,632 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,979,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 699.9% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 8,671 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,249,000 after purchasing an additional 7,587 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EFX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $226.00 to $214.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $210.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Argus upgraded shares of Equifax to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Equifax in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $222.00 price target on the stock. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.67.

Key Stories Impacting Equifax

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted EFX as a strong momentum stock, suggesting the shares still screen well on style and trend factors that can support investor interest. Here’s Why Equifax (EFX) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Equifax Canada announced Credit Lock for Ontario consumers, a product tied to identity-theft prevention that could help reinforce its consumer credit-protection franchise. Equifax® Canada introduces Credit Lock to empower Ontarians and help fight identity theft and fraud
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also noted sustained revenue growth, product innovation, and a diversified client base, which supports the longer-term fundamental case for EFX. Sustained Revenue Growth Aids Equifax Amid Low Liquidity

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EFX opened at $163.56 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $173.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $193.17. Equifax, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.91 and a 12 month high of $275.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.32.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.17. Equifax had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 20.41%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. Equifax’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.40, for a total transaction of $6,515,168.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,846,252. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Chad M. Borton sold 2,455 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total transaction of $426,899.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 29,518 shares in the company, valued at $5,132,885.02. The trade was a 7.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.