Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Shares Down 5.8% – What’s Next?

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s share price fell 5.8% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $159.75 and last traded at $157.4470. 763,850 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 1,771,876 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.13.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho initiated coverage on Equifax in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $222.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Equifax from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $210.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup decreased 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, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Equifax from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.39.

Equifax Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $172.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $192.38.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.17. The firm 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%.Equifax’s revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.57 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.44%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, EVP Chad M. Borton sold 2,455 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total value of $426,899.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 29,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,132,885.02. The trade was a 7.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.40, for a total transaction of $6,515,168.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 271,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,846,252. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EFX. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Equifax during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.