Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Fifteen of 21 analysts rate Equifax a “buy,” while six recommend holding the stock. The average 12-month price target is $215.16, above the reported share price of $177.31.
• Equifax exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.25 in EPS versus a $2.20 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 10.6% year over year to $1.70 billion. Analysts expect approximately $8.58 in full-year EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share, equivalent to a $2.24 annualized payout and a 1.3% yield. CEO Mark Begor also sold 37,791 shares under a pre-arranged trading plan.

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-one analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $215.1579.

Several research firms recently commented on EFX. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Equifax from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays reduced their price target on Equifax from $215.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research 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 note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Equifax from $245.00 to $232.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EFX opened at $177.31 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $178.53 and a 200 day moving average of $177.90. 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 company has a market capitalization of $20.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.31. Equifax has a 52 week low of $150.74 and a 52 week high of $271.84.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Equifax will post 8.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is 39.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark Begor sold 37,791 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,808,582.40. This represents a 12.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

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

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.

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