Allianz Asset Management GmbH Boosts Stock Position in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 6.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 392,560 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 22,302 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Equifax were worth $100,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in 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. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 1.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,968,897 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,288,783,000 after purchasing an additional 66,914 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,142,763 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $811,650,000 after purchasing an additional 75,627 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 8.9% during the 2nd 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. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at about $334,521,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Equifax from $285.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Equifax from $271.00 to $266.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Equifax from $295.00 to $253.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Equifax from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.14.

Equifax Stock Down 12.2%

Shares of EFX opened at $174.86 on Wednesday. Equifax, Inc. has a 52-week low of $173.83 and a 52-week high of $281.03. The company has a market capitalization of $21.40 billion, a PE ratio of 33.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.55. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $214.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 37.95%.

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.