Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Hits New 12-Month Low on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday after BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on the stock from $179.00 to $160.00. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the stock. Equifax traded as low as $138.15 and last traded at $140.6030, with a volume of 2812011 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $145.78.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Equifax from $212.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Credit Suisse Group set a $160.00 target price on Equifax in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Equifax from $245.00 to $232.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $171.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Equifax from $222.00 to $194.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $210.30.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total transaction of $845,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 69,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,979,577.80. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Begor sold 37,791 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $6,506,098.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,808,582.40. This trade represents a 12.20% 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. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equifax

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFX. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the second quarter valued at $1,491,357,000. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 310.5% during the 1st quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,184,569 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $753,515,000 after buying an additional 3,165,120 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Equifax by 57.2% during the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,809,879 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $609,693,000 after buying an additional 1,022,819 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 36.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,107,458 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $379,490,000 after buying an additional 563,880 shares during the period. Finally, Cantillon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,723,998 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $374,073,000 after buying an additional 12,995 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $16.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $174.19 and its 200 day moving average is $172.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.05. Equifax had a net margin of 10.73% and a return on equity of 21.61%. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st were issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.37%.

About Equifax

Equifax Inc (NYSE: EFX) is a global data, analytics and technology company that helps businesses, government agencies and consumers make informed decisions about credit, identity, employment and financial risk. The company collects and analyzes information from a broad range of sources to provide insights and decisioning tools for lenders, employers, insurers, telecommunications providers and other organizations.

Its products and services include consumer and commercial credit reports, credit scores, fraud and identity-management solutions, marketing and customer-acquisition analytics, and income and employment verification through The Work Number.