Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX): Are Hedge Funds Right About This Stock?

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) was in 26 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of December. EFX shareholders have witnessed an increase in hedge fund sentiment lately. There were 25 hedge funds in our database with EFX holdings at the end of the previous quarter.

According to most investors, hedge funds are seen as underperforming, outdated investment tools of yesteryear. While there are over 8000 funds in operation today, we at Insider Monkey hone in on the aristocrats of this club, close to 450 funds. Most estimates calculate that this group oversees the lion’s share of the hedge fund industry’s total asset base, and by monitoring their best equity investments, we have determined a few investment strategies that have historically outstripped the market. Our small-cap hedge fund strategy beat the S&P 500 index by 18 percentage points annually for a decade in our back tests, and since we’ve began to sharing our picks with our subscribers at the end of August 2012, we have outpaced the S&P 500 index by 25 percentage points in 6.5 month (check out a sample of our picks).

Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

Equally as beneficial, positive insider trading sentiment is another way to break down the investments you’re interested in. Just as you’d expect, there are lots of stimuli for an insider to get rid of shares of his or her company, but only one, very simple reason why they would buy. Many empirical studies have demonstrated the market-beating potential of this method if piggybackers understand what to do (learn more here).

With all of this in mind, it’s important to take a glance at the key action surrounding Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX).

How are hedge funds trading Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)?

In preparation for this year, a total of 26 of the hedge funds we track were long in this stock, a change of 4% from the third quarter. With hedgies’ positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists an “upper tier” of noteworthy hedge fund managers who were boosting their holdings meaningfully.

According to our comprehensive database, Ricky Sandler’s Eminence Capital had the most valuable position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX), worth close to $56 million billion, comprising 1.7% of its total 13F portfolio. Coming in second is Columbus Circle Investors, managed by Donald Chiboucis, which held a $40 million position; the fund has 0.3% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Remaining peers that hold long positions include Cliff Asness’s AQR Capital Management, D. E. Shaw’s D E Shaw and David Harding’s Winton Capital Management.

As industrywide interest jumped, key hedge funds were leading the bulls’ herd. Catapult Capital Management, managed by Israel Englander, established the biggest position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX). Catapult Capital Management had 1 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Andy Redleaf’s Whitebox Advisors also initiated a $1 million position during the quarter. The only other fund with a brand new EFX position is J. Alan Reid, Jr.’s Forward Management.

How have insiders been trading Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)?

Insider buying is best served when the company we’re looking at has experienced transactions within the past 180 days. Over the latest six-month time period, Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) has seen zero unique insiders buying, and 9 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).

With the returns demonstrated by the aforementioned research, everyday investors must always keep an eye on hedge fund and insider trading activity, and Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) is an important part of this process.

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