Zacks Research Issues Negative Forecast for Equifax Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut its FY2026 EPS forecast for Equifax to $8.49 from $8.63, slightly below the $8.50 consensus estimate. It also forecast FY2027 EPS of $9.33 and FY2028 EPS of $10.72.
• Equifax’s latest quarter beat expectations, with EPS of $2.26 versus $2.20 expected; revenue was $1.69 billion, in line with estimates and up 9.6% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive but mixed: 14 analysts rate the stock Buy and seven Hold, for a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $200.55.

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Equifax in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, November 3rd. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the credit services provider will earn $8.49 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $8.63. The consensus estimate for Equifax's current full-year earnings is $8.50 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Equifax's Q4 2026 earnings at $2.12 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.98 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.40 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.53 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.42 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.33 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.42 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $2.81 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.72 EPS.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The credit services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.06. Equifax had a net margin of 11.27% and a return on equity of 22.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.04 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Equifax from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $177.00 to $189.00 in a report on Monday, October 26th. Argus raised Equifax from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Mizuho cut their target price on Equifax from $210.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Equifax from $212.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $200.55.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $187.96 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.00 billion, a PE ratio of 30.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Equifax has a twelve month low of $137.01 and a twelve month high of $228.67. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $177.14.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,491,357,000. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in Equifax by 310.5% in the first quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,184,569 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $753,515,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165,120 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Equifax by 36.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,107,458 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $379,490,000 after purchasing an additional 563,880 shares during the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new position in Equifax during the second quarter valued at $290,868,000. Finally, Cantillon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Equifax by 3.9% during the first quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,791,379 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $322,574,000 after purchasing an additional 67,381 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,792 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.80, for a total value of $6,908,377.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 289,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,997,741.60. The trade was a 11.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John Gamble sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total value of $845,820.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 69,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,979,577.80. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 46,292 shares of company stock worth $8,464,918 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is 36.19%.

Equifax News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q2 2028 EPS estimate slightly, to $2.81 from $2.79, providing a limited bright spot.
• Neutral Sentiment: Equifax’s survey found that rising costs are pressuring Canadian consumers, particularly younger adults and families. This points to financial stress but does not directly establish an impact on Equifax’s results. Survey article
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP John Gamble sold 4,000 shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan and retained 65,145 shares, making the transaction less clearly bearish than an unplanned sale. Insider-sale report
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut estimates for multiple periods, including FY2027 EPS to $9.33 from $9.84 and FY2028 to $10.72 from $10.95. It also lowered its FY2026 estimate to $8.49 from $8.63, just below the stated $8.50 consensus. The breadth of the downward revisions is the clearest potential pressure on EFX shares.

About Equifax

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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