Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Shares Down 4.6% – Here’s What Happened

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) dropped 4.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $158.81 and last traded at $158.3950. Approximately 264,870 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 1,754,757 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.06.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EFX has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $240.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $226.00 to $214.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Equifax from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equifax currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.67.

Equifax Stock Down 3.7%

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $173.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $193.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $19.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.32.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The credit services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 20.41%. Equifax’s revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. 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, research analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 271,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,846,252. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Chad M. Borton sold 2,455 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total transaction of $426,899.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 29,518 shares in the company, valued at $5,132,885.02. The trade was a 7.68% 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. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equifax

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EFX. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 612.5% in the 4th quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 114 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Equifax in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors 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.