Zacks Research Has Positive Forecast for Equifax Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised Equifax’s Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $2.23 from $2.12 and projects full-year 2026 EPS of $8.63, slightly above the $8.55 consensus estimate.
• Equifax recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $2.25 EPS versus the $2.20 consensus, while revenue rose 10.6% year over year to $1.70 billion. Management’s Q3 EPS guidance is $2.15–$2.25, with full-year guidance of $8.39–$8.69.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 13 Buy ratings, five Holds and one Sell, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $215.79 versus the recent share price of $177.30.

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Equifax in a research note issued on Tuesday, August 4th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the credit services provider will earn $2.23 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.12. The consensus estimate for Equifax's current full-year earnings is $8.55 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Equifax's Q4 2026 earnings at $2.29 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.63 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.12 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.58 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.55 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.58 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.84 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.59 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $2.79 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.95 EPS.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The business'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 EPS. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $226.00 to $214.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Equifax from $215.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $265.00 to $245.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $245.00 to $232.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $215.79.

Equifax Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:EFX opened at $177.30 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $168.16 and its 200 day moving average is $180.45. Equifax has a 1 year low of $150.74 and a 1 year high of $271.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fisher Funds Management LTD acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,889,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Equifax by 49.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Equifax by 52.6% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 650,391 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $141,199,000 after acquiring an additional 224,073 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Equifax during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,098,000. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its holdings in Equifax by 1,253.8% in the fourth quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 24,978 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,420,000 after acquiring an additional 23,133 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $6,506,098.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,890 shares in the company, valued at $46,808,582.40. This trade represents a 12.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Chad M. Borton sold 2,455 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total value of $426,899.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 29,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,132,885.02. This trade represents a 7.68% 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. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Equifax's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.37%.

Key Equifax News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $2.23 from $2.12, lifted Q4 2026 EPS to $2.29 from $2.26, and increased its full-year 2026 forecast to $8.63 from $8.41. The revised FY2026 estimate is slightly above the broader consensus of $8.55, suggesting improved expectations for Equifax’s near-term earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks expects Equifax’s earnings to grow beyond 2026, forecasting FY2027 EPS of $9.84 and FY2028 EPS of $10.95. Although some estimates were reduced, the projections still imply continued earnings expansion.
• Neutral Sentiment: The estimate changes were incremental rather than a major revision to Equifax’s outlook. Zacks raised its Q2 2027 EPS forecast modestly to $2.58 from $2.56, while maintaining its FY2027 and FY2028 quarterly estimates in most cases.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered several longer-term forecasts, including Q1 2027 EPS to $2.12 from $2.13, Q3 2027 EPS to $2.55 from $2.57, Q4 2027 EPS to $2.58 from $2.63, Q1 2028 EPS to $2.59 from $2.65, and FY2028 EPS to $10.95 from $11.30. These reductions may raise concerns about longer-term growth momentum.

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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