Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Hits New 52-Week Low on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday after BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on the stock from $179.00 to $160.00. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the stock. Equifax traded as low as $138.15 and last traded at $140.6030, with a volume of 2812011 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.78.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $171.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $222.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of Equifax from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $214.00 to $235.00 in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Equifax from $230.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equifax presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $210.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John Gamble sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total value of $845,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,979,577.80. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $6,506,098.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,808,582.40. The trade was a 12.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the second quarter valued at $40,028,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $463,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $92,523,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $107,416,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Equifax in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,098,000. 96.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $16.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.54, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $174.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $172.45.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.05. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.55 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st were paid a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 39.37%.

Equifax Company Profile

Equifax Inc (NYSE: EFX) is a global data, analytics and technology company that helps businesses, government agencies and consumers make informed decisions about credit, identity, employment and financial risk. The company collects and analyzes information from a broad range of sources to provide insights and decisioning tools for lenders, employers, insurers, telecommunications providers and other organizations.

Its products and services include consumer and commercial credit reports, credit scores, fraud and identity-management solutions, marketing and customer-acquisition analytics, and income and employment verification through The Work Number.