Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Stock Price

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) had its price target lowered by stock analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $250.00 to $222.00 in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective points to a potential upside of 18.84% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on EFX. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $240.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Equifax from $271.00 to $266.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets set a $195.00 target price on Equifax in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group set a $230.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.64.

Equifax Stock Performance

Shares of EFX stock traded up $5.76 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $186.80. 1,934,936 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,980,369. Equifax has a fifty-two week low of $166.02 and a fifty-two week high of $281.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.55. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $213.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $228.29.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 19.28%. Equifax’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.12 earnings per share. Equifax has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.300-8.700 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.630-1.730 EPS. Analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Equifax by 1,350.7% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 53,574 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,624,000 after acquiring an additional 49,881 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Equifax by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 953 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Equifax by 177.0% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,548 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,638,000 after buying an additional 4,823 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in Equifax by 297.9% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,269 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,577,000 after buying an additional 5,442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Equifax by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 4,012 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $871,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on both EPS and revenue; fourth-quarter revenue grew ~9% and topped guidance, which supports the stock’s upside narrative. Equifax Q4 press release / slide deck
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted VantageScore traction and targeted stronger growth in 2026 — a potential longer-term revenue driver if adoption continues. Equifax sees VantageScore traction
• Positive Sentiment: Company cited AI and cloud-driven product innovation and efficiency gains (90%+ revenue on Equifax Cloud), which supports margin expansion and new product monetization over time. Equifax: AI tools drive product innovation
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnership expansion (Gen and Equifax) to deliver broader consumer financial solutions could open cross‑sell and data‑services opportunities. Gen and Equifax partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts trimmed price targets but kept buy ratings (e.g., Needham lowered its PT to $265 while maintaining a buy), signaling continued analyst support though with reduced upside. Needham lowers price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Full‑year 2026 EPS guidance was given (EPS range roughly in line with consensus), which offers some visibility for the year but leaves near‑term sensitivity to execution. Reuters: Equifax projects 2026 profit
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 EPS guidance came in below Street estimates, prompting caution for the near term and explaining some analyst downward revisions. Zacks: Q4 beat but cautious Q1 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analysts cut forecasts after the quarter (broader PT trimming), which reduces near‑term analyst-driven upside. Benzinga: Analysts cut forecasts after Q4
• Negative Sentiment: Political/regulatory risk: Senators have publicly accused Equifax of “price‑gouging” related to Medicaid programs, a reputational and regulatory overhang that could pressure the stock if it escalates. NYT: Senators accuse Equifax of price‑gouging

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.