Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Given Buy Rating at Needham & Company LLC

Key Points

• Needham reaffirmed a "buy" on Equifax with a $265 price target — implying about a 37% upside — while the analyst consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $235.75 (13 Buys, 5 Holds).
• Equifax delivered a record Q1, beating EPS ($1.86 vs. $1.69 est.) and revenue ($1.65B vs. $1.61B) and coming $37M above guidance, but shares slipped after management reiterated Q2 and FY guidance and flagged mortgage/macroeconomic uncertainty.
• Insiders have been selling: CEO Mark Begor and EVP Jamil Farshchi sold sizable positions (37,791 and 6,213 shares), with insiders disposing of about 49,671 shares worth ~$9.96M over the last quarter.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $265.00 price objective on the credit services provider's stock. Needham & Company LLC's price target would indicate a potential upside of 37.20% from the stock's previous close.

EFX has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Equifax from $269.00 to $244.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Argus upgraded Equifax to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Equifax from $271.00 to $266.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Equifax from $265.00 to $240.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $195.00 price objective on Equifax in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Equifax currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $235.75.

Equifax Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of EFX stock opened at $193.15 on Wednesday. Equifax has a 52-week low of $166.02 and a 52-week high of $281.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.30 billion, a PE ratio of 36.31, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.56. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $206.02.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.27% and a net margin of 10.87%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Equifax will post 8.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 6,213 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.81, for a total value of $1,216,567.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,035,259.16. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.89, for a total value of $7,629,624.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 230,506 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,536,856.34. This represents a 14.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 49,671 shares of company stock worth $9,960,181. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Maridea Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Equifax in the first quarter worth about $281,000. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the first quarter valued at approximately $358,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,098,000. Breakwater Capital Group purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the first quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Finally, OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,352,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Key Equifax News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record Q1 results — EPS and revenue topped estimates and revenue came in $37M above the midpoint of February guidance, supporting the company’s growth story. Equifax Delivers Record First Quarter Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue drivers: management credited AI-powered product innovation, cloud offerings and a 38% jump in U.S. mortgage revenue for the quarter’s strength — points to sustainable product-led growth if mortgage demand holds. Equifax Credits AI Tools for Record $1.6 Billion Quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reiterated FY and Q2 guidance (Q2 EPS 2.15–2.25; FY EPS 8.34–8.74) — guidance is roughly in line with consensus midpoints but leaves less upside than investors hoped, so it’s mixed for near-term sentiment. Equifax Press Release / Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call tone was upbeat on growth and cash but cautious on near-term mortgage and macro uncertainty — suggests disciplined capital allocation but limited immediate upside from the call alone. Equifax Earnings Call: Growth, Caution And Cash
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: after the initial rally, shares slipped as investors focused on management maintaining revenue guidance and warning that geopolitical-driven rate volatility (Iran tensions) could weaken the mortgage market. That dampened the upside from the beat. Equifax stock slips after maintaining revenue guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction: Jefferies trimmed its price target (from $240 to $220) while keeping a buy rating — a sign analysts see upside but are tempering near-term expectations. Jefferies adjusts price target on Equifax

Equifax Company Profile

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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