Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $158.57, but opened at $166.11. Equifax shares last traded at $174.6850, with a volume of 545,346 shares trading hands.

The credit services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.06. Equifax had a net margin of 10.73% and a return on equity of 21.61%. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.04 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

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

Key Equifax News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equifax reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.26, above the $2.20 consensus estimate and up from $2.04 a year earlier, extending its earnings-beat streak. Earnings Flash: Equifax Posts Q3 Adjusted EPS
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue rose approximately 10% year over year to $1.693 billion, in line with expectations. Growth was broad-based, including a 15% increase in mortgage-related revenue, 13% growth in U.S. Information Solutions, 7% growth in Workforce Solutions and 9% international growth. Equifax Third-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Net income attributable to Equifax increased 32% to $211.7 million, while the company returned $158 million to shareholders through $92 million of share repurchases and $66 million in dividends. Equifax Q3 Revenue Rises
• Neutral Sentiment: Management cited AI-related cost savings and continued diversified-markets momentum, but investors remain focused on the outlook for mortgage-sensitive operations.
• Negative Sentiment: Equifax lowered its full-year 2026 reported revenue outlook to $6.646 billion-$6.676 billion and forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $1.605 billion-$1.635 billion, below analyst expectations. The company attributed the revisions to a weaker U.S. mortgage market during the second half of the third quarter and through year-end. Equifax Shares and Q4 Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho reduced its price target from $210 to $185, although it maintained an “outperform” rating, signaling more limited near-term upside after the outlook reduction.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EFX has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $194.00 to $177.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Equifax from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $208.00 price objective on shares of Equifax and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $245.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Equifax from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Equifax currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.05.

Insider Transactions at Equifax

In other news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total transaction of $845,820.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 69,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,979,577.80. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Begor sold 37,791 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 271,890 shares in the company, valued at $46,808,582.40. This represents a 12.20% 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. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in Equifax by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 16,435 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,256,000 after acquiring an additional 491 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 18.1% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,648 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Equifax by 12.9% during the third quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,752 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Equifax by 9.1% during the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,524 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $346,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GK Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the third quarter worth about $42,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equifax Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $20.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.35. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $167.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.95.

Equifax Company Profile

Equifax Inc (NYSE: EFX) is a global data, analytics and technology company that provides information and services to help businesses, governments and consumers make informed financial and workforce decisions. The company is best known for its credit reporting activities, but its offerings also include identity verification, fraud prevention, income and employment verification, marketing services and risk management solutions.

Equifax provides consumer and commercial credit information, credit reports and related analytics to lenders and other businesses.