Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Trading Down 6% on Analyst Downgrade

22 Apr 2026, 17:48 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX – Get Free Report)’s share price fell 6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on the stock from $244.00 to $243.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Equifax traded as low as $185.61 and last traded at $180.9250. 893,892 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 50% from the average session volume of 1,802,950 shares. The stock had previously closed at $192.42.

EFX has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Equifax in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $222.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Equifax from $250.00 to $245.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $195.00 price target on shares of Equifax in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.00.

View Our Latest Research Report on Equifax

Insider Activity at Equifax

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.89, for a total transaction of $7,629,624.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 230,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,536,856.34. This represents a 14.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.72, for a total transaction of $880,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 58,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,532,018.12. The trade was a 7.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 49,671 shares of company stock valued at $9,960,181 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Equifax News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and record revenue — Equifax reported $1.86 EPS (vs. $1.69 est.) and record revenue of ~$1.65B, citing AI product innovation and a 38% increase in U.S. mortgage revenue as key drivers. PR Newswire: Record Q1 Revenue
Positive Sentiment: Analyst reaffirmation and buy-side support — Needham reaffirmed a Buy and kept a $265 PT, highlighting operational outperformance, AI productivity and disciplined buybacks as supportive. Needham Reaffirmed Buy
Neutral Sentiment: Goldman raised its PT to $200 but kept a Neutral rating — a modest upgrade in valuation view but not a bullish stance. MarketScreener: Goldman PT
Negative Sentiment: Multiple price‑target cuts — Several firms trimmed PTs (Baird to $245, Wells Fargo to $230, Morgan Stanley to $243, Citigroup to $238, Jefferies to $220) which likely added downward pressure despite retained positive ratings. MarketScreener: Baird PT Cut MarketScreener: Wells Fargo PT Cut MarketScreener: Citi PT Cut
Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance and macro headwinds — Management maintained FY and Q2 guidance but ranges sit around or slightly below consensus (Q2 EPS range 2.15–2.25 vs. ~2.24 consensus; FY 8.34–8.74 vs. ~8.60 consensus), and management flagged mortgage volatility from geopolitical tensions as a risk to growth. PR Newswire: Guidance Blockonomi: Iran tensions impact mortgages
Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcripts available — Investors can review management commentary on AI products, mortgage timing, and buyback discipline for color on durability of trends. Earnings Call Transcript

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in Equifax by 14.0% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 741,685 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $133,515,000 after purchasing an additional 91,294 shares in the last quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Equifax during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $281,000. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Equifax during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $358,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Equifax during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,098,000. Finally, Breakwater Capital Group acquired a new stake in shares of Equifax in the first quarter worth $221,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $21.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $189.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $206.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 10.87% and a return on equity of 19.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.53 earnings per share. Equifax has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.340-8.740 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $0.56 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This is an increase from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.11%.

About Equifax

(Get Free Report)

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.