Needham & Company LLC Issues Positive Forecast for Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Price

Key Points

• Needham raised Equifax’s price target from $190 to $210 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying 18.56% potential upside from the prior close.
• Equifax reported third-quarter earnings of $2.26 per share, ahead of the $2.20 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 9.6% year over year to $1.69 billion.
• Despite strong results, mortgage-market weakness remains a headwind: Equifax reduced its 2026 revenue outlook, while analyst targets have been mixed. MarketBeat lists a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average target of $200.48.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by Needham & Company LLC from $190.00 to $210.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the credit services provider's stock. Needham & Company LLC's price target would indicate a potential upside of 18.56% from the company's previous close.

EFX has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $230.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $245.00 to $232.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup dropped their target price on Equifax from $238.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Equifax from $200.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $200.48.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $177.12 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.93. Equifax has a 1-year low of $137.01 and a 1-year high of $238.94. The firm has a market cap of $20.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 20th. The credit services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.06. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.04 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 8.50 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark Begor sold 37,791 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $6,506,098.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total value of $845,820.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,979,577.80. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EFX. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the second quarter worth about $40,028,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG purchased a new stake in Equifax in the second quarter valued at approximately $463,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Equifax in the second quarter valued at approximately $107,416,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Equifax in the second quarter valued at approximately $92,523,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Equifax by 74.0% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 59,010 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $9,366,000 after purchasing an additional 25,091 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Equifax News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equifax reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.26 per share, above the $2.20 analyst consensus, while revenue of $1.693 billion was in line with expectations and increased approximately 10% year over year. Lower selling, general and administrative expenses, including productivity and AI-related efficiencies, helped support profitability. Equifax Stock Gains 12% Over Strong Q3 Report
• Positive Sentiment: Growth was broad-based outside housing: U.S. Information Solutions revenue rose 13% to $599.1 million, Workforce Solutions increased 7% to $693.9 million, and international revenue grew 9% to $399.5 million. Diversified markets revenue advanced 8%, while state-agency contract signings reached $550 million in annual contract value. Equifax: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: The company returned $158 million to shareholders during the quarter through $92 million of share repurchases and $66 million in dividends, reinforcing the capital-return story. Equifax Third-Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management said consumer financial health and most U.S. markets remain resilient, and highlighted continued potential from AI-enabled products and operating efficiencies. However, mortgage transaction volumes began declining in late August as interest rates rose, creating a significant near-term headwind. Equifax Earnings Call Highlights AI Gains, Mortgage Drag
• Negative Sentiment: Equifax reduced its 2026 reported-revenue outlook to $6.646 billion–$6.676 billion and guided fourth-quarter revenue to $1.605 billion–$1.635 billion, reflecting prolonged mortgage weakness. A recent Mizuho price-target cut from $210 to $185 also signals more limited upside expectations despite an “outperform” rating.

Equifax Company Profile

Equifax Inc NYSE: EFX is a global data, analytics and technology company that provides information and services to help businesses, governments and consumers make informed financial and workforce decisions. The company is best known for its credit reporting activities, but its offerings also include identity verification, fraud prevention, income and employment verification, marketing services and risk management solutions.

Equifax provides consumer and commercial credit information, credit reports and related analytics to lenders and other businesses.

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