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

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) was down 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 were traded during trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 1,802,950 shares. The stock had previously closed at $192.42.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on EFX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Argus upgraded shares of Equifax to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $256.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 230,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,536,856.34. This trade represents a 14.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 58,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,532,018.12. This represents a 7.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have 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 company insiders.

Key Equifax News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and record revenue — Equifax reported $1.86 EPS (vs. $1.69 est.) and record revenue of ~$1.65B, citing AI product innovation and a 38% increase in U.S. mortgage revenue as key drivers. PR Newswire: Record Q1 Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst reaffirmation and buy-side support — Needham reaffirmed a Buy and kept a $265 PT, highlighting operational outperformance, AI productivity and disciplined buybacks as supportive. Needham Reaffirmed Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman raised its PT to $200 but kept a Neutral rating — a modest upgrade in valuation view but not a bullish stance. MarketScreener: Goldman PT
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price?target cuts — Several firms trimmed PTs (Baird to $245, Wells Fargo to $230, Morgan Stanley to $243, Citigroup to $238, Jefferies to $220) which likely added downward pressure despite retained positive ratings. MarketScreener: Baird PT Cut MarketScreener: Wells Fargo PT Cut MarketScreener: Citi PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance and macro headwinds — Management maintained FY and Q2 guidance but ranges sit around or slightly below consensus (Q2 EPS range 2.15–2.25 vs. ~2.24 consensus; FY 8.34–8.74 vs. ~8.60 consensus), and management flagged mortgage volatility from geopolitical tensions as a risk to growth. PR Newswire: Guidance Blockonomi: Iran tensions impact mortgages
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcripts available — Investors can review management commentary on AI products, mortgage timing, and buyback discipline for color on durability of trends. Earnings Call Transcript

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Equifax by 612.5% in the fourth quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 114 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equifax Stock Down 7.0%

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 company has a market cap of $21.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.63, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.56. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $189.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $206.02.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.17. Equifax had a net margin of 10.87% and a return on equity of 19.27%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.53 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.11%.

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.