Meritage Group LP Purchases New Holdings in Equifax, Inc. $EFX

Meritage Group LP acquired a new position in shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 169,633 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $43,516,000. Equifax makes up approximately 1.2% of Meritage Group LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Meritage Group LP owned 0.14% of Equifax at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Equifax by 6.0% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 392,560 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $100,703,000 after buying an additional 22,302 shares during the period. Explore Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Equifax by 34.6% in the third quarter. Explore Capital Management LLC now owns 40,930 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,500,000 after purchasing an additional 10,530 shares in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Equifax by 164.6% in the third quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 4,998 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Equifax by 18.4% during the third quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 178,203 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $45,714,000 after purchasing an additional 27,740 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $932,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Stock Performance

EFX traded up $4.09 on Friday, hitting $186.55. 135,092 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,838,109. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $204.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Equifax, Inc. has a 52 week low of $166.02 and a 52 week high of $281.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.44 billion, a PE ratio of 35.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.55.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.04. Equifax had a net margin of 10.87% and a return on equity of 19.27%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equifax has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.300-8.700 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.630-1.730 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Equifax, Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $0.56 dividend. This is a boost from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Equifax’s payout ratio is presently 42.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 1,167 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.87, for a total value of $233,248.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,869 shares in the company, valued at $7,968,617.03. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.72, for a total value of $880,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 58,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,532,018.12. This represents a 7.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 49,671 shares of company stock valued at $9,960,181 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays cut their price objective on Equifax from $240.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 target price on Equifax in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $220.00 price target on Equifax in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Argus upgraded Equifax to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Equifax from $235.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $240.33.

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.