Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Shares Down 5.8% – Should You Sell?

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) dropped 5.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $159.75 and last traded at $157.4470. 763,850 shares traded hands during mid-day 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 Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on EFX. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $256.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group raised their target price on Equifax from $212.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Equifax from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on Equifax from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Equifax from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $225.28.

Equifax Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $18.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business’s 50 day moving average is $171.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.57.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.17. Equifax had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 20.41%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.53 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.40, for a total value of $6,515,168.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Chad M. Borton sold 2,455 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total transaction of $426,899.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 29,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,132,885.02. This trade represents a 7.68% 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. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EFX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Equifax by 49.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equifax during the first quarter worth approximately $204,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Equifax by 14.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 14.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,632 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,979,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 699.9% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 8,671 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,249,000 after purchasing an additional 7,587 shares in the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.