Needham & Company LLC Lifts Earnings Estimates for Equifax

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) – Stock analysts at Needham & Company LLC lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Equifax in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, February 5th. Needham & Company LLC analyst K. Peterson now expects that the credit services provider will earn $1.69 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.66. Needham & Company LLC currently has a “Buy” rating and a $265.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Equifax’s current full-year earnings is $7.58 per share. Needham & Company LLC also issued estimates for Equifax’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.26 EPS.

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

Several other analysts have also recently commented on EFX. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $220.00 price objective on Equifax in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $230.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $240.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $240.33.

Equifax Price Performance

NYSE:EFX opened at $195.52 on Monday. Equifax has a 1-year low of $166.02 and a 1-year high of $281.03. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $212.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $227.36. The firm has a market cap of $23.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 1st quarter worth about $204,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 14.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $615,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in shares of Equifax by 4.8% in the second quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 6,017 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,561,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Key Equifax News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and constructive guidance: Equifax reported a Q4 beat on revenue and EPS, and set FY2026 guidance (EPS 8.30–8.70) and Q1 guidance that signal continued top-line growth — a primary reason investors are bidding the stock up. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AI expansion and government segment momentum: Management highlighted AI-powered product expansion and a rebound in the government business, which supports longer-term revenue upside and premium valuation expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: VantageScore traction and partnerships: Execs noted VantageScore adoption gains and a new partnership (Gen + Equifax) to broaden consumer financial solutions — both support recurring data/licensing growth. Read More. | Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts still bullish despite cuts: Several firms cut price targets after the quarter but maintained Buy/Overweight/Outperform ratings (JPM, RBC, Wells, Needham, Morgan Stanley), leaving meaningful upside in consensus PTs even after downgrades. These mixed signals can mute momentum but keep analyst support. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/media scrutiny: A New York Times piece highlights senators accusing Equifax of “price‑gouging” on Medicaid services — elevated regulatory and political risk that could pressure valuation or lead to contract/price scrutiny in public-sector work. Read More.

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.