Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $223.3889.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on EFX shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Equifax from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Equifax from $256.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd.

Equifax Stock Up 4.5%

NYSE EFX opened at $179.37 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $164.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.31. Equifax has a one year low of $150.74 and a one year high of $271.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $21.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.32.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.17. Equifax had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 20.41%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Equifax will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Chad M. Borton sold 2,455 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total transaction of $426,899.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 29,518 shares in the company, valued at $5,132,885.02. The trade was a 7.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.40, for a total transaction of $6,515,168.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,846,252. The trade was a 12.21% 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 company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Equifax by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 148 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 16.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 401 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Athena Investment Management raised its position in shares of Equifax by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Athena Investment Management now owns 2,608 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,276 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Equifax

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.