Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Takes Position in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 19,565 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,102,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Equifax by 612.5% in the fourth quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 114 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Price Performance

EFX stock opened at $194.35 on Monday. Equifax, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.74 and a 52-week high of $271.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $22.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a fifty day moving average of $175.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.12.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The company’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America reduced their target price on Equifax from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $208.00 price objective on Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $220.00 to $212.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total transaction of $6,506,098.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,808,582.40. This trade represents a 12.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.