Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Releases Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Equifax issued below-consensus Q4 2026 guidance, forecasting EPS of $2.07–$2.17 versus the $2.21 consensus and revenue of approximately $1.6 billion versus $1.7 billion expected. Full-year EPS guidance was set at $8.45–$8.55.
• The company’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.26 versus $2.20 expected and revenue of $1.69 billion, up 9.6% year over year. Profitability benefited from AI-driven efficiencies and lower selling, general and administrative expenses.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with 14 Buy ratings and seven Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $200 price target, although several firms recently lowered their targets. Mortgage-market weakness remains a near-term headwind.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.070-2.170 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 2.210. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.6 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.7 billion. Equifax also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.450-8.550 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Equifax from $212.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Equifax from $230.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Equifax from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Equifax from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Equifax from $194.00 to $177.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.00.

Equifax Stock Performance

EFX traded down $1.08 on Wednesday, hitting $175.46. 2,535,581 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,751,931. Equifax has a 52 week low of $137.01 and a 52 week high of $238.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.61 billion, a PE ratio of 30.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $166.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.93.

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. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%. Equifax's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Equifax will post 8.50 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Equifax's payout ratio is currently 39.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equifax news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of the business's 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 owned 69,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,979,577.80. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Begor sold 37,791 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,808,582.40. This represents a 12.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Equifax

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equifax reported third-quarter revenue of $1.693 billion, up 10% year over year, while adjusted earnings of $2.26 per share exceeded the $2.20 analyst consensus. Revenue growth was supported by U.S. Information Solutions, international operations and diversified markets. Equifax third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted AI-driven efficiencies and lower selling, general and administrative expenses, which helped profitability and contributed to the earnings beat. Equifax earnings beat and lower expenses
• Positive Sentiment: Equifax returned $158 million to shareholders through $92 million of share repurchases and $66 million in dividends. State-agency contract signings also reached $550 million in annual contract value, supporting longer-term growth visibility. Equifax long-term earnings takeaways
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target from $190 to $210 and maintained a Buy rating, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. Needham raises Equifax price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Equifax’s credit-trends data shows U.S. millennials have surpassed Generation X in total debt. The trend may increase demand for credit-monitoring and risk-assessment services, but it also highlights potential consumer-credit risks. Equifax Global Credit Trends
• Negative Sentiment: Equifax lowered its full-year 2026 reported revenue outlook to approximately $6.646 billion-$6.676 billion and issued fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $1.605 billion-$1.635 billion, below some expectations. Equifax Q3 earnings and lowered outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Management said U.S. mortgage transaction volumes weakened meaningfully as interest rates rose, creating a near-term headwind for mortgage-related revenue despite strength elsewhere in the business. Equifax mortgage-market update

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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