Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) shares gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $189.09, but opened at $167.99. Equifax shares last traded at $172.2060, with a volume of 437,142 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on EFX shares. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on Equifax from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Equifax from $245.00 to $232.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $265.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $182.00 target price (up from $173.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.16.

Equifax Trading Down 8.3%

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $20.38 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.31.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.37%.

Insider Activity at Equifax

In other news, CEO Mark Begor sold 37,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $6,506,098.56. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in Equifax by 15,465.8% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 30,785,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,886,248,000 after buying an additional 30,587,555 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,491,357,000. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its position 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 valued at $753,515,000 after acquiring an additional 3,165,120 shares during the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the second quarter worth about $290,868,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $275,635,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.