Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Announces Earnings Results

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The credit services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.17, FiscalAI reports. Equifax had a net margin of 10.87% and a return on equity of 19.27%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.53 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equifax updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance to 8.340-8.740 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Equifax’s conference call:

• Strong Q1 financials: Reported revenue of $1.649B (+14% reported, +13% organic), EBITDA of $477M (+13%) and EPS of $1.86 (+22%), with ex‑FICO EBITDA margin expansion of ~80 bps driving outperformance vs February guidance.
• Mortgage drove much of the beat (U.S. mortgage +38%) aided by TWN Indicator, but March geopolitical-driven rate increases slowed inquiries over the last six weeks and Equifax held 2026 guidance pending greater macro clarity.
• Product traction and share gains: Equifax is offering TWN Indicator and select TWN/cell‑phone/utility attributes free in mortgage and has expanded TWN Indicator into auto and personal loans, supported by record TWN additions (211M active records) to push further share gains.
• FICO vs VantageScore dynamic: Equifax assumes FICO‑only in 2026 guidance but cut VantageScore mortgage pricing to $1 to accelerate conversion; full Vantage conversion would be upside (≈$35M margin benefit) but timing depends on FHFA activation.
• Strong cash and technology positioning: Management expects >$1B free cash flow and >100% cash conversion in 2026 with ~$1.5B capacity for M&A/returns (Q1 returns $327M, $260M buybacks, dividend +12%), while cloud‑native EFX.AI (400 AI patents, 17% Vitality Index) is cited as a driver of new products and AI‑driven cost productivity.

Equifax Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $193.15 on Wednesday. Equifax has a 12-month low of $166.02 and a 12-month high of $281.03. The company has a market cap of $23.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $189.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $206.02.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.56 dividend. This is a positive change from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 6,213 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.72, for a total transaction of $880,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 58,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,532,018.12. This represents a 7.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 49,671 shares of company stock worth $9,960,181 in the last three months. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position 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 worth $927,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,494 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC raised its stake in Equifax by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. OpenArc Corporate Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth $279,000. Finally, Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth $249,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $265.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Equifax from $271.00 to $266.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $220.00 price objective on Equifax in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Equifax from $253.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on Equifax from $295.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.75.

Equifax News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and record revenue — Equifax reported a beat on both EPS and revenue, delivering record quarterly revenue and coming in roughly $37M above the midpoint of prior guidance, which supports the company’s growth story. Equifax Delivers Record First Quarter Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: AI, cloud and mortgage products drove the quarter — Management cited AI-powered product innovation, cloud offerings and a 38% jump in U.S. mortgage revenue as major growth drivers, highlighting durable product-led momentum. Equifax Credits AI Tools for Record $1.6 Billion Quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares initially rallied then cooled — The market initially reacted positively (sharp intraday gain) to the beat, but gains faded as investors digested the guidance cadence and macro risks. This intraday reversal shows short-term profit-taking and rotation rather than a definitive change in fundamentals. Equifax (EFX) Is Up 6.4% After Record Q1 Boosted By Mortgage, Cloud And AI Products
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance maintained but conservative tone — Management kept FY and Q2 revenue/EPS guidance roughly in line with prior ranges; that conservatism stabilizes expectations but left some analysts wanting clearer upside. Equifax stock slips after maintaining revenue guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/mortgage risk from geopolitical tensions — Management flagged rising interest-rate volatility tied to the Iran conflict that clouded the mortgage outlook; investors penalized the stock for the added uncertainty around the most recent mortgage-driven strength. Equifax (EFX) Stock Holds Steady as Iran Tensions Cloud Mortgage Market Despite Q1 Beat
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target trim — Jefferies trimmed its price target (from $240 to $220) while keeping a Buy rating, a modest signal that some firms see less near-term upside than before. Jefferies adjusts price target on Equifax

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.