Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The credit services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.04, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 11.08%.Equifax’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 earnings per share. Equifax updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.300-8.700 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance to 1.630-1.730 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Equifax’s conference call:

• Equifax closed 2025 with strong results — $6.075B revenue, $7.65 EPS, and $1.13B free cash flow with 120% cash conversion — and provided 2026 guidance targeting >$1B free cash flow, ~10% reported revenue growth and EPS of $8.50 at the midpoint.
• The sharp increase in FICO mortgage royalties (a zero-margin pass-through) materially inflates reported revenue while reducing reported EBITDA margins (over 200 bps headwind in 2026), so management will report ex‑FICO metrics to show underlying performance.
• Cloud and AI investments are being monetized — ~90% of revenue on the Equifax Cloud, all 2025 new models built on EFX.AI, a record 15% annual New Product Vitality and early traction for Twin Indicator (1,400+ mortgage customers), which management says will drive share gains and product lift.
• Workforce Solutions remains high‑margin and a growth engine (Q4 EWS EBITDA ~51%), with Twin data scale (200M active records) and a potential government tailwind from OB3 and new SNAP continuous-evaluation contracts that management expects to make the government vertical the fastest-growing business.

Equifax Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE EFX traded up $1.26 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $176.31. The company had a trading volume of 1,252,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,819,204. The stock has a market cap of $21.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.46, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.55. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $214.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $228.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Equifax has a 12 month low of $166.02 and a 12 month high of $281.03.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. Equifax’s payout ratio is 37.95%.

Key Equifax News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: EPS of $2.09 vs. $2.04 expected and revenue grew 9% year‑over‑year, coming in roughly $30M above the midpoint of guidance — a sign of underlying demand resilience. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management projects 2026 profit above Street estimates, which should support forward earnings expectations and analyst models. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company materials and slide deck provide detail on segment performance — mortgage and workforce solutions offset weakness in U.S. hiring and mortgage markets. Useful for investors digging into revenue drivers. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/political risk: U.S. senators warned about potential Medicaid profiteering tied to data/analytics vendors, triggering headlines and selling pressure on Equifax shares. This issue could prompt investigatory or legislative scrutiny. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction & technicals: multiple news outlets noted shares were falling after the headlines; EFX remains below its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages, suggesting continued selling pressure could persist near term. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on EFX shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Equifax from $285.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Equifax from $271.00 to $266.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Equifax from $245.00 to $234.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equifax in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.14.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Wyoming bought a new position in Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax during the third quarter worth $34,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the second quarter worth $57,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Equifax during the third quarter worth $69,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Equifax by 523.4% in the third quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 293 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

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.