Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $274.7333.

EFX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Equifax from $295.00 to $253.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Equifax from $287.00 to $297.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Equifax from $245.00 to $234.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 8th.

Equifax Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of EFX opened at $214.08 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $213.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $236.14. Equifax has a 52 week low of $199.98 and a 52 week high of $281.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.56.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 11.08%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. Equifax has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.980-2.080 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.550-7.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Equifax will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equifax

In related news, EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 4,925 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.94, for a total value of $1,176,779.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,405,634.16. The trade was a 11.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 21,386 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.12, for a total value of $4,942,732.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,095,040.40. This represents a 49.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 54,270 shares of company stock worth $12,580,837. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 49.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $927,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Equifax by 30.6% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,834 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $934,000 after acquiring an additional 898 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in Equifax by 31.5% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 139,292 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,926,000 after purchasing an additional 33,352 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in Equifax by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 81,657 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $19,888,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC raised its position in Equifax by 49.1% in the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 7,128 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,736,000 after purchasing an additional 2,348 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is owned by 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.