MML Investors Services LLC Boosts Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,454 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Equifax were worth $4,541,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Equifax by 73.6% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 5,693 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,673,000 after buying an additional 2,414 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in Equifax in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,386,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in Equifax by 76.4% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 66,972 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $19,680,000 after acquiring an additional 29,006 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in Equifax by 24.3% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 7,269 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,136,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in Equifax by 1.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,816,186 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,415,284,000 after acquiring an additional 52,489 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Price Performance

EFX stock opened at $265.95 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $267.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $269.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.57. Equifax Inc. has a 1 year low of $213.02 and a 1 year high of $309.63.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The credit services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. Equifax had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 18.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 34.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on EFX shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a report on Monday, October 28th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Equifax from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Equifax from $304.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $311.67.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other news, EVP John J. Kelley III sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.92, for a total value of $272,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,075,535.48. This represents a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lisa M. Nelson sold 551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.39, for a total value of $143,474.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,697 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,781.83. This trade represents a 4.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $16,187,044 over the last quarter. 1.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Equifax Company 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.