Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $238.5714.

EFX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 price target on Equifax in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Equifax from $235.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America started coverage on Equifax in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $220.00 target price on Equifax in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Equifax from $269.00 to $244.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $184.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. Equifax has a one year low of $166.02 and a one year high of $281.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.64, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.55. The company’s fifty day moving average is $203.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.42.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.04. Equifax had a net margin of 10.87% and a return on equity of 19.27%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.12 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equifax has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.300-8.700 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.630-1.730 EPS. Analysts forecast that Equifax will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. This is an increase from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 42.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equifax news, EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 6,213 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.81, for a total transaction of $1,216,567.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,035,259.16. The trade was a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.72, for a total transaction of $880,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 58,921 shares in the company, valued at $11,532,018.12. This represents a 7.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 49,671 shares of company stock worth $9,960,181. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 49.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at about $204,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equifax by 79.5% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,481 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 13.0% during the second quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 78 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 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.