Equifax, Inc. $EFX Stake Boosted by Madison Asset Management LLC

Madison Asset Management LLC grew its position in Equifax, Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 114.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 70,191 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 37,431 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Equifax worth $12,639,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EFX. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Equifax during the 1st quarter valued at $204,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 14.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 14.5% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,632 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,979,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its position in shares of Equifax by 699.9% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 8,671 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,249,000 after buying an additional 7,587 shares during the period. 96.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Equifax from $244.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Equifax from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Equifax from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Equifax from $225.00 to $217.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Equifax from $256.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.16.

Key Equifax News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equifax this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equifax posted Q2 2026 EPS of $2.25, topping estimates, while revenue of $1.70 billion rose 11% year over year and matched Wall Street expectations. The company also highlighted strength in USIS, mortgage, and verification businesses, and announced an agreement to acquire Círculo de Crédito, which could expand its credit data footprint. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management said early AI and agentic-automation gains are helping drive efficiency, and it doubled its expected three-year AI-driven cost savings target to $150 million from $75 million, a potentially meaningful margin tailwind over time. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Free cash flow remained strong at $326 million for the first six months, and the company returned $366 million to shareholders, supporting the longer-term investment case even as near-term sentiment stays cautious. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor reaction has been pressured by Equifax’s weaker-than-expected Q3 and full-year 2026 guidance, which came in below consensus and suggests headwinds from a tough mortgage market and broader macro conditions. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Margins were also hit by a legal settlement accrual tied to a previously disclosed coding issue, adding another overhang as analysts noted the company’s near-term outlook appears less exciting than the quarter’s operating results. Article Title

Equifax Trading Down 4.4%

NYSE EFX opened at $172.23 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Equifax, Inc. has a 1-year low of $150.74 and a 1-year high of $271.84. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $165.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $183.40. The company has a market capitalization of $20.51 billion, a PE ratio of 30.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.32.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The credit services provider reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.05. Equifax had a return on equity of 20.41% and a net margin of 11.12%.The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equifax has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.390-8.690 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Equifax, Inc. will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equifax Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 39.44%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 37,791 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.40, for a total value of $6,515,168.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 271,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,846,252. The trade was a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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 that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.89, for a total value of $426,899.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 29,518 shares in the company, valued at $5,132,885.02. This represents a 7.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.