Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Price Down 6% After Analyst Downgrade

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s stock price dropped 6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on the stock from $244.00 to $243.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Equifax traded as low as $185.61 and last traded at $180.9250. Approximately 893,892 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 1,802,950 shares. The stock had previously closed at $192.42.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $195.00 price objective on Equifax in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Equifax from $256.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays cut their price objective on Equifax from $240.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Equifax from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.72, for a total value of $880,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 58,921 shares in the company, valued at $11,532,018.12. This trade represents a 7.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.89, for a total value of $7,629,624.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 230,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,536,856.34. This represents a 14.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 49,671 shares of company stock worth $9,960,181 over the last 90 days. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Equifax

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and record revenue; management credited AI product innovation and strong U.S. mortgage results that drove 14% revenue growth — a clear fundamental positive for growth and margins. Equifax Delivers Record First Quarter Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: Needham reaffirmed a Buy with a $265 target, signaling institutional conviction in the company’s execution and buyback/capital allocation strategy. Needham Reaffirms Buy on Equifax
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs lifted its price target (192 → 200) and kept a Neutral rating, a modest positive that reduces near-term downside risk from that shop. Goldman Sachs Raises PT on Equifax
• Neutral Sentiment: Company guidance for Q2 and FY2026 was reiterated/set in a range that overlaps street estimates (Q2 EPS 2.15–2.25; FY EPS 8.34–8.74). That kept expectations roughly intact but left room for investor interpretation. Earnings Release & Call Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: Extensive earnings coverage and call transcripts are available (high visibility can amplify both upside and downside moves depending on next-quarter indicators). Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple firms trimmed price targets (Baird 250→245; Wells Fargo 240→230; Citi 256→238; Morgan Stanley 244→243). Those cuts — even when ratings were maintained — likely pressured the stock by reducing upside from some Wall Street desks. Baird Lowers PT on Equifax
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/geopolitical uncertainty (spike in rates after Iran tensions) clouds the mortgage outlook — the very end market that boosted Q1 — prompting investor caution despite the beat. Q1 Deep Dive: Mortgage Gains & Macro Headwinds

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 12.5% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 458 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 2.8% in the third quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Equifax by 82.9% in the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 128 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Equifax by 64.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Equifax by 16.9% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 401 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Trading Down 7.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market cap of $21.53 billion, a PE ratio of 31.41, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.56. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $189.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $205.82.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 20.41% and a net margin of 11.12%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.53 earnings per share. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. Analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This is an increase from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is 42.11%.

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.