Equifax (EFX) on Wallstrip

There are not many Companies I despise. You can hate tobacco, guns, porn, but I choose to hate these guys. They have a virtual monopoly in messing with your life.

Selling one’s name and information is a lucrative business and these animals have had a free ride with their evil cousins.

Thing is, evil is good for stock prices and my hate has blinded me to the great investment.

Stupid.

If you can’t beat them join them and in this case…own it.

I think the stock offers a great long term entry down 10 plus percent from a recent all-time high. I am already longer than I need to be so will pass for now, but it meets my criteria. Here is the Google Finance start page on Equifax .

Brian has a detailed look at Equifax’s technical picture for those looking to be more precise with their entry:

Here is the downside:

1. Consumer awareness – unlikely. We act like lemmings despite their evilness

2. Governement Intervention – hopeful but unlikely because it makes sense in this case

3. Very acquisitive – in the end this depends on integration.

The recent acquisition of TALX is interesting for it’s inherent conflicts. They paid $1.4 billion to help get them into the identity theft business (wink), yet make their money from selling names and info that lead to identity theft.

If I own a stock like Equifax, I want them to sell names and information aggressively, not hedge their bets and diversify.

Is Equifax hinting that identity theft protection is a bigger market than creating an identity theft problem?

Time will tell. My opinion is that they could care less about identity theft as a business (all about PR). Bad news for you, good news for Lifelock and those fed up with their antics.

Disclosure – No positions in Equifax, Long Lifelock