Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on Equifax, with 15 buy ratings and six holds among 21 brokerages. The average 12-month price target is $213.95.
• Equifax’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $2.25 versus the $2.20 consensus and revenue of $1.70 billion, up 10.6% year over year.
• Shares opened at $140.60, near the company’s 52-week low of $138.15. Equifax also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.56 per share, equivalent to a 1.6% annual yield.

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $213.95.

EFX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Equifax from $238.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Equifax from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $195.00 to $179.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, EVP John Gamble sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total transaction of $845,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 69,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,979,577.80. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $6,506,098.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,890 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,808,582.40. This represents a 12.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Equifax during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Equifax by 630.8% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 190 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of Equifax stock opened at $140.60 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Equifax has a 1-year low of $138.15 and a 1-year high of $258.32. The business's fifty day moving average price is $175.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.08. The company has a market capitalization of $16.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.71, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.31.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Equifax will post 8.55 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st were paid a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. Equifax's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.37%.

About Equifax

Equifax Inc NYSE: EFX is a global data, analytics and technology company that helps businesses, government agencies and consumers make informed decisions about credit, identity, employment and financial risk. The company collects and analyzes information from a broad range of sources to provide insights and decisioning tools for lenders, employers, insurers, telecommunications providers and other organizations.

Its products and services include consumer and commercial credit reports, credit scores, fraud and identity-management solutions, marketing and customer-acquisition analytics, and income and employment verification through The Work Number.

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