Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 4,459 Shares of Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Hsbc Holdings PLC decreased its stake in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 1.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 272,085 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 4,459 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.23% of Equifax worth $48,897,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Equifax by 64.4% during the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 148 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 16.9% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 401 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Athena Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Athena Investment Management now owns 2,608 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $566,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,276 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $430,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on EFX shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Equifax from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on Equifax from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.39.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.40, for a total value of $6,515,168.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 271,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,846,252. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total value of $426,899.95. Following the sale, 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $180.78 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $21.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.83, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.32. Equifax, Inc. has a one year low of $150.74 and a one year high of $271.84. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $165.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $183.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.53 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.44%.

Equifax Profile

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.