Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.630-1.730 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.780. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.6 billion-$1.6 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.6 billion. Equifax also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.300-8.700 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on EFX. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equifax in a report on Monday, December 29th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Equifax in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Equifax from $295.00 to $253.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Equifax from $285.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Equifax from $245.00 to $234.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 8th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.14.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of Equifax stock traded up $1.26 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $176.31. 1,252,136 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,819,204. The company has a market cap of $21.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.55. Equifax has a fifty-two week low of $166.02 and a fifty-two week high of $281.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $214.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.62.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.04. 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 for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.12 EPS. Equifax has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.300-8.700 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.630-1.730 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Equifax will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.95%.

Equifax News Summary

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.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equifax by 49.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Equifax during the 2nd quarter worth about $229,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Equifax by 16.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 401 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Equifax during the second quarter worth approximately $249,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equifax in the second quarter valued at approximately $219,000. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.