Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Thursday. The stock traded as low as $150.38 and last traded at $150.3130, with a volume of 410242 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $155.32.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on EFX shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $230.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Equifax from $243.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $182.00 target price (up from $173.00) on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $214.53.

Equifax Trading Down 0.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $17.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $176.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.01.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. Equifax had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 10.73%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.55 EPS for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is 39.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $6,506,098.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 271,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,808,582.40. This represents a 12.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John Gamble sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.96, for a total transaction of $845,820.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 69,055 shares in the company, valued at $12,979,577.80. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EFX. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,491,357,000. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its position in Equifax by 310.5% during the first quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,184,569 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $753,515,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165,120 shares during the period. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in Equifax during the second quarter worth approximately $290,868,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Equifax during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $275,635,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the second quarter valued at approximately $187,215,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Company Profile

Equifax Inc (NYSE: EFX) is a global data, analytics and technology company that provides information solutions to businesses, government agencies and consumers. Its services help organizations assess credit risk, prevent fraud, verify identities, market products and make informed decisions about lending, employment and other transactions.

The company’s offerings include consumer and commercial credit reports, credit scores, fraud-prevention and identity-management tools, income and employment verification services, mortgage and housing data, and workforce-management solutions.