Equifax (NYSE:EFX) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.17 EPS

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The credit services provider reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.17, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. Equifax had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 20.41%. 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 firm earned $1.53 earnings per share. Equifax updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance to 8.340-8.740 EPS.

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

• Strong Q1 financials: Reported revenue of $1.649B (+14% reported, +13% organic), EBITDA of $477M (+13%) and EPS of $1.86 (+22%), with ex‑FICO EBITDA margin expansion of ~80 bps driving outperformance vs February guidance.
• Mortgage drove much of the beat (U.S. mortgage +38%) aided by TWN Indicator, but March geopolitical-driven rate increases slowed inquiries over the last six weeks and Equifax held 2026 guidance pending greater macro clarity.
• Product traction and share gains: Equifax is offering TWN Indicator and select TWN/cell‑phone/utility attributes free in mortgage and has expanded TWN Indicator into auto and personal loans, supported by record TWN additions (211M active records) to push further share gains.
• FICO vs VantageScore dynamic: Equifax assumes FICO‑only in 2026 guidance but cut VantageScore mortgage pricing to $1 to accelerate conversion; full Vantage conversion would be upside (≈$35M margin benefit) but timing depends on FHFA activation.
• Strong cash and technology positioning: Management expects >$1B free cash flow and >100% cash conversion in 2026 with ~$1.5B capacity for M&A/returns (Q1 returns $327M, $260M buybacks, dividend +12%), while cloud‑native EFX.AI (400 AI patents, 17% Vitality Index) is cited as a driver of new products and AI‑driven cost productivity.

Equifax Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $178.44 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.61. Equifax has a one year low of $166.02 and a one year high of $281.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.41, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.56. The company’s fifty day moving average is $189.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $205.82.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. Equifax’s dividend payout ratio is 39.44%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jamil Farshchi sold 6,213 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.81, for a total transaction of $1,216,567.53. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,035,259.16. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.72, for a total value of $880,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 58,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,532,018.12. This represents 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 worth $9,960,181 in the last 90 days. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equifax

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EFX. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 49.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $927,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Equifax by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 979 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. acquired a new position in Equifax during the second quarter worth about $206,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at about $204,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its position in shares of Equifax by 100.8% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 767 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. 96.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on EFX. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $220.00 target price on Equifax in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Equifax from $256.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Equifax from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Equifax from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Equifax to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.00.

Key Stories Impacting Equifax

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record Q1 results and AI-driven revenue: Equifax reported record first‑quarter revenue (about $1.6B) and credited AI product innovation and mortgage growth for the upside — a clear operational tailwind supporting earnings momentum. Equifax Credits AI Tools for Record $1.6 Billion Quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on both top and bottom lines: EPS $1.86 and revenue above expectations; management highlighted mortgage and cloud/AI product strength during the earnings call. That underpins better-than-expected near‑term fundamentals. Equifax Inc (EFX) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth and Strategic Innovations
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst buy support remains: Needham reaffirmed a Buy with a $265 target (largest upside among peers), signaling continued confidence in execution and buybacks despite macro noise. Needham reaffirms Buy, $265 PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Market spotlight and sentiment pieces note momentum and mixed broader-market sentiment — useful context but not new company‑specific catalysts. Equifax Momentum Builds Within NYSE Composite Spotlight
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman raised its price target to $200 but kept a Neutral rating — a modest boost to near‑term valuation metrics but not a clear bullish signal. Goldman Sachs adjusts price target to $200
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance caution trimmed gains: Management maintained revenue guidance, which some investors interpreted as conservative given the beat — the result was an intraday pullback after the initial pop. Equifax stock slips after maintaining revenue guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple firms trimmed price targets (Baird to $245, Wells Fargo to $230, Citi to $238, Morgan Stanley to $243) — though most kept Buy/Overweight stances, the trims reflect caution on runway and valuations and contributed to mixed analyst signals. Morgan Stanley trims PT to $243 (example)

Equifax Company Profile

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.