Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Hits New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $138.15 and last traded at $140.6030, with a volume of 2812011 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.78.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on EFX. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $238.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $243.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Equifax from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on Equifax from $215.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Equifax from $245.00 to $232.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equifax presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $213.95.

Equifax Stock Down 3.6%

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 stock has a market cap of $16.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.71, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.31. The company's 50 day moving average price is $175.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.08.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.73% and a return on equity of 21.61%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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. Equities analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In other news, EVP John Gamble sold 4,500 shares of Equifax 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the business'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 value of $6,506,098.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,808,582.40. This trade represents a 12.20% 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. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. Andra AP fonden bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the second quarter worth approximately $415,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 210.4% in the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 689 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 74.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 59,010 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $9,366,000 after purchasing an additional 25,091 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,657,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 42.5% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,146 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 938 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company's stock.

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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