EFX

TransUnion currently trades at $82.40 per share and has shown little upside over the past six months, posting a middling return of 4%. The stock also fell short of the S&P 500’s 12% gain during that period. Does this present a buying opportunity for TRU? Or is its underperformance reflective of its story and business quality? Find out in our full research report, it’s free. One of the three major credit bureaus in the United States alongside Equifax and Experian, TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) is a global information and insights company that provides credit reports, fraud prevention tools, and data analytics to help businesses make decisions and consumers manage their financial health. A company’s long-term sales performance is one signal of its overall quality. Any business can experience short-term success, but top-performing ones enjoy sustained growth for years. Luckily, TransUnion’s sales grew at an excellent 11.7% compounded annual growth rate over the last five years. Its growth beat the average business services company and shows its offerings resonate with customers. Free cash flow isn’t a prominently featured metric in company financials and earnings releases, but we think it’s telling because it accounts for all operating and capital expenses, making it tough to manipulate. Cash is king. As you can see below, TransUnion’s margin expanded by 14.5 percentage points over the last five years. This is encouraging, and we can see it became a less capital-intensive business because its free cash flow profitability rose while its operating profitability fell. TransUnion’s free cash flow margin for the trailing 12 months was 16.1%. Growth gives us insight into a company’s long-term potential, but how capital-efficient was that growth? Enter ROIC, a metric showing how much operating profit a company generates relative to the money it has raised (debt and equity). Although TransUnion has shown solid fundamentals lately, it historically did a mediocre job investing in profitable growth initiatives. Its five-year average ROIC was 5.6%, somewhat low compared to the best business services companies that consistently pump out 25%+. TransUnion has huge potential even though it has some open questions. With its shares underperforming the market lately, the stock trades at 16.2× forward P/E (or $82.40 per share). Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free. ALSO WORTH WATCHING: Top 5 Momentum Stocks. The best time to own a great stock is when the market is finally noticing it. These aren’t just high-quality businesses. Something is happening with them right now. Elite fundamentals meet near-term momentum — both boxes checked at the same time. Find out which stocks our AI platform is flagging this week. See this week’s Strong Momentum stocks — FREE. Get Our Strong Momentum Stocks for Free HERE. Stocks that have made our list include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,460% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Exlservice (+271% between June 2020 and June 2025). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.

It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Gartner (IT). Shares have added about 0.2% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Gartner due for a pullback? Well, first let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the recent drivers for Gartner, Inc. before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late. Gartner reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with both earnings and revenues surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Adjusted earnings of $4.37 per share beat the consensus estimate of $3.77 by 15.9% and increased 23.8% from the year-ago quarter’s $3.53. The improvement reflected higher operating profit and a considerably lower diluted share count. Revenues of $1.68 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $1.65 billion by 1.8%. Reported revenues declined 0.6% year over year because the prior-year period included revenues from the divested Digital Markets operation. Adjusted revenues increased 2.8% on a reported basis and 1.8% on a foreign-currency-neutral basis. Global contract value reached $5.28 billion, increasing 1.7% year over year and 0.3% sequentially on a foreign-currency-neutral basis. The improvement from 1% year-over-year growth in the first quarter indicates that subscription demand is gradually stabilizing. Global Technology Sales contract value was approximately $4 billion, rising 1.1% year over year and remaining nearly flat sequentially. Global Business Sales contract value increased 3.3% year over year and 1.2% sequentially to $1.28 billion. Global wallet retention was 98.2%, up from 97.7% in the preceding quarter but below 101.3% a year earlier. Client retention improved sequentially to 85.2% from 85%, compared with 84.6% in the year-ago quarter. Contract value per enterprise advanced to $414,000 from $376,000 a year ago, partly offsetting a 4.5% decline in client enterprises to 12,775. Insights revenues increased 2.1% year over year, or 1% on a foreign-currency-neutral basis, to $1.29 billion. Segment contribution rose 4% to $999 million. The contribution margin expanded 150 basis points to 77.5%, demonstrating the scalability of Gartner’s subscription-oriented research platform. Conferences delivered the strongest revenue growth. Segment revenues advanced 15.5% year over year, or 14.2% on a foreign-currency-neutral basis, to $244 million. Contribution jumped 19.6% to $145 million, while the contribution margin expanded 210 basis points to 59.5%. Same-conference revenues increased 12%, although attendee levels declined 1.4%. Gartner held 18 destination conferences during the quarter compared with 19 a year earlier, while destination conference attendance decreased slightly to 28,057 from 28,295. Consulting remained the weakest segment. Revenues declined 8.8% year over year to $142 million, while contribution fell 12.6% to $54 million. The contribution margin contracted 170 basis points to 37.9%. Labor-based consulting revenues decreased 12.8% to $96 million, whereas contract optimization revenues increased 0.9% to $46 million. Consulting backlog rose 9.1% to $214 million, offering some support for future revenues. Billable headcount fell 11.3% to 842, while utilization improved 32 basis points to 65.1%. Adjusted EBITDA excluding the divested operation increased 6.4% year over year, or 4.4% on a foreign-currency-neutral basis, to $466 million. The corresponding margin expanded 90 basis points to 27.8%. GAAP operating income advanced 15.7% to $378.5 million. The operating margin improved to 22.6% from 19.4% a year earlier, aided by lower service, product-development and administrative expenses. Net income increased 14.4% to $275.5 million. Earnings climbed 33.1% to $4.14 per share, with the faster per-share increase supported by a reduction in shares to 66.6 million from 77.4 million. Operating cash flow rose 3.8% to $398 million. With capital expenditures declining to $20 million from $36 million, free cash flow increased 8.9% to $378 million. The trailing-12-month free cash flow was approximately $1.3 billion. Gartner repurchased 3.6 million shares for $547 million during the quarter. Year-to-date repurchases totaled approximately $1.08 billion. The company had about $1.2 billion remaining under its repurchase authorization as of July 31 after the board approved an additional $500 million in July. Gartner ended the quarter with $1.49 billion in cash and approximately $3 billion in debt. Gross debt to adjusted EBITDA was 1.8 times, while net leverage stood at 0.9 times. Gartner now expects 2026 adjusted revenues of at least $6.38 billion, compared with the previous outlook of $6.41 billion. Insights revenues are now projected to be at least $5.17 billion, down from the prior guidance of $5.20 billion. The outlooks for Conferences and Consulting revenues were maintained at no less than $695 million and $510 million, respectively. Despite the revenue adjustment, the company raised its profitability forecast. Adjusted EBITDA excluding the divested operation is now expected to be at least $1.57 billion, up from $1.55 billion. Adjusted EPS guidance for 2026 increased to at least $14 from $13.25, while the free cash flow forecast rose to at least $1.19 billion from $1.16 billion. In the past month, investors have witnessed a upward trend in fresh estimates. The consensus estimate has shifted 5.82% due to these changes. Currently, Gartner has a average Growth Score of C, though it is lagging a bit on the Momentum Score front with a D. However, the stock was allocated a score of A on the value side, putting it in the top 20% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of A. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Estimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise Gartner has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months. Gartner belongs to the Zacks Consulting Services industry. Another stock from the same industry, Equifax (EFX), has gained 4.6% over the past month. More than a month has passed since the company reported results for the quarter ended June 2026. Equifax reported revenues of $1.7 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +10.6%. EPS of $2.25 for the same period compares with $2.00 a year ago. For the current quarter, Equifax is expected to post earnings of $2.21 per share, indicating a change of +8.3% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +0.1% over the last 30 days. The overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions translate into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Equifax. Also, the stock has a VGM Score of C. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Gartner, Inc. (IT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Equifax, Inc. (EFX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Equifax Canada® Market Pulse Quarterly Consumer Credit Trends and Insights TORONTO, Aug. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equifax® Canada’s Q2 2026 Market Pulse Quarterly Consumer Credit Trends and Insights reveals that total Canadian consumer debt rose to $2.68 trillion, a 4.18 per cent increase compared to Q2 2025 and a 1.3 per cent rise from the previous quarter. Following a drop in non-mortgage debt in Q1 2026, balances saw a seasonal rebound in the second quarter. Non-mortgage debt reached $712.2 billion in Q2, marking a 4.8 per cent jump year-over-year and a 2.09 per cent increase from Q1 2026. National 90+ day non-mortgage balance delinquency rates saw a seasonal improvement, dipping to 1.76 per cent in Q2 2026 from 1.79 per cent in Q1, though it remained elevated compared to the 1.70 per cent rate observed a year ago. "Between March and June, we typically see non-mortgage debt levels rising and missed payments falling," said Rebecca Oakes, Vice President of Advanced Analytics at Equifax Canada. "This year has followed a similar pattern as consumers remain cautious, particularly around major purchases. And while rising delinquency levels have started to slow, pockets of growing stress are still evident in some areas." Mortgage Holders In Ontario Continue To Show Financial StrainWhile the Q2 data suggests an overall stable position for the credit health of Canadians, mortgage holders in Ontario continue to buck this trend. 90+ day missed payments on mortgages in Ontario have risen every quarter for the last 4 years, the wider impact being seen on other types of debt these individuals hold. Nationally, non-mortgage debt for mortgage holders grew by 1.9% compared to the previous quarter, reaching $304.6 billion in Q2. Their 90+ day non-mortgage delinquency rate crept up to 0.77 per cent, an increase of 0.4 per cent compared to Q1 and 12.5 per cent rise year-on-year. In Ontario, the 90+ day non-mortgage delinquency rate rose 2.2 per cent compared to Q1, and a huge 27 per cent vs 2025, reaching 0.86 per cent. Excluding Ontario, the national level rose just 2.1 per cent year on year, highlighting the divergence for Ontario. "The data clearly shows that the persistent pressure of higher interest rates and mortgage renewal shocks have impacted many homeowners for several years," Oakes noted. "Ontario continues to stand out though, with some mortgage holders struggling to keep up with other credit obligations." For those without a mortgage, the outlook was more favourable, their 90+ day non-mortgage delinquency rate improved by 2.3 per cent (at 2.5 per cent) compared to Q1 2026, remaining nearly unchanged year-over-year. However, the outlook was not as good in Ontario with the 90+ day non-mortgage delinquency rates rising 3.0 per cent compared to 12 months ago. First-Time Homebuyers Increasingly Rely on Co-BorrowersJoint mortgages among first-time homebuyers rose from 57.6 per cent in 2016 to 70.9 per cent through Q2 2026. Among first-time homebuyers under 35, Ontario and British Columbia had roughly twice the proportion of joint mortgages involving borrowers 20 or more years apart than the rest of Canada, pointing to greater reliance on parental or family support. “For many younger Canadians, buying a first home seems to increasingly mean doing it with someone else,” said Oakes. “Family support appears to play a larger role in higher-cost markets.” Credit Card Balances RiseAfter a slow start to the year in consumer card usage, credit card balances grew in the second quarter, supported by a seasonal rise in consumer spending. When adjusted for inflation, the average credit card spend per consumer climbed steadily throughout the quarter, reaching $2,192 and sitting 1.4 per cent higher than 12 months ago. Consequently, national credit card debt swelled to $134.2 billion, up from $130.6 billion in Q1 2026. The 90+ day delinquency rate for national credit cards improved slightly to 4.19 per cent, down from 4.28 per cent in the previous quarter, but remained higher than 2025, showing a 6.8 per cent annual increase. Payment behaviour on credit cards remained flat with 65 per cent of consumers paying their credit card balance in full each month. Minimum payment levels were stable at 4 per cent. A recent Equifax Canada Consumer Survey found that consumers surveyed were concerned about making their payments with 25 per cent of respondents noting that they expect to make only minimum payments in coming months, while another 7 per cent believe they are likely to fall behind. "When we compare our recent survey to the data we are seeing today, it highlights that although the numbers are currently stable, consumers may be worried about maintaining this position," explained Oakes. "There seems to be a significant amount of uncertainty in the current environment and we need to be aware of the impact that any additional economic pressures could have on this particular consumer group." Consumers Remain Cautious About New Vehicle PurchasesThe automotive sector regained some seasonal momentum in Q2 2026. Auto loan balances (captives and auto bank loans) grew to $179.1 billion, representing a 2.2 per cent increase from Q1 2026 and a 4.9 per cent rise year-over-year. However, this increase was below expected levels for this time of year. The number of new auto loans opened in the second quarter was 9.2 per cent lower than Q2 2025, a similar trend to what we saw in Q1. Average new loan amounts were much higher compared to 12 months ago, on average rising from $34,713 to $36,979. The higher loan amounts contributed to the rising overall balance. "Even with financing incentives and lower used vehicle prices, many consumers appear to be holding off on big purchases like new vehicles and waiting to see what the economy will bring. Economic conditions and employment uncertainty continue to influence household decisions,” added Oakes. Encouragingly, the overall 90+ day delinquency rate for auto loans improved to 1.10 per cent, down from 1.11 per cent in the previous quarter. This improvement was driven primarily by the used vehicle market, whereas new auto loans experienced a slight uptick in severe delinquency rates. Equifax Canada® Market Pulse Quarterly Consumer Credit Trends and Insights leverages market-leading data and analytics to deliver critical insights for Canada’s financial ecosystem to help consumers live their financial best. Age Group Analysis – Debt & Overall Balance Delinquency Rates (excluding mortgages) Major City Analysis – Debt & Overall Balance Delinquency Rates (excluding mortgages) Province Analysis - Debt & Overall Balance Delinquency Rates (excluding mortgages) * Based on Equifax data for Q2 2026 About EquifaxAt Equifax, we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by nearly 15,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.ca. Contact:Andrew FindlaterSELECT Public [email protected](647) 444-1197 Angie AndichEquifax Canada Media [email protected]

It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Equifax (EFX). Shares have added about 12.7% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Equifax due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Equifax Inc. has reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.25 per share, up 12.5% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21 by 1.8%. Revenues increased 10.6% year over year to $1.7 billion and surpassed the consensus mark by a slight margin. Strong growth in U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), mortgage services and verification offerings supported the results. The company’s new-product Vitality Index was 16%. Workforce Solutions revenues increased 7% year over year to $705.4 million. Verification Services revenues advanced 7% to $607.6 million, aided by high-double-digit growth in Talent Solutions and Consumer Lending. Workforce Solutions mortgage revenues rose 8%. Employer Services revenues increased 3% to $97.8 million. The Government business signed new contracts and renewals totaling roughly $300 million in annual contract value during the first half of 2026. About $100 million represented new business, while approximately $200 million came from renewals. The segment’s operating margin contracted to 44.9% from 46.4% a year earlier. The adjusted EBITDA margin declined to 52.1% from 53.3%, indicating that revenue growth did not fully translate into margin expansion. USIS revenues climbed 17% year over year to $611.6 million. Online Information Solutions revenues increased 19% to $545.4 million, while Financial Marketing Services revenues grew 4% to $66.2 million. USIS mortgage revenues rose 40%, benefiting from share gains and the increased adoption of the company’s mortgage scoring products. About 1,300 mortgage lenders were using VantageScore by July 2026, while second-quarter VantageScore transactions totaled 2.2 million, nearly three times the first-quarter level. The segment’s operating margin was 22.5%, down slightly from 22.6% in the prior-year quarter. The adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 32.8% from 35%, reflecting the impacts of FICO-related mortgage royalty expenses despite strong revenue growth. International revenues rose 8% on a reported basis and 4% in local currency to $383.1 million. The Asia Pacific delivered the strongest reported rally, with revenues increasing 17% to $99.7 million. Local-currency growth was 7%, driven by Online B2B and commercial offerings. Latin America revenues advanced 9% on a reported basis and 3% in local currency to $109 million. Canada revenues grew 6% to $73.3 million, while Europe revenues increased 2% on a reported basis and 1% in local currency to $101.1 million. The international operating margin expanded to 12.1% from 10.9%. The adjusted EBITDA margin improved 120 basis points to 27.6%, supported by operating leverage and continued new product execution. Adjusted EBITDA increased 10.6% year over year to $552.1 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin remained flat at 32.5%. Excluding FICO mortgage royalties, management indicated that the adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 120 basis points. Reported net income attributable to Equifax declined 3.9% to $183.9 million. GAAP diluted earnings increased to $1.54 per share from $1.53, helped by a lower diluted share count. The quarter included a $40-million pre-tax charge, net of expected insurance recoveries, related to a legal settlement associated with a previously disclosed coding issue. Acquisition-related amortization expenses totaled $61.2 million. The company doubled its 2026-2028 AI-driven cost and capital savings target to $150 million. Equifax is deploying artificial intelligence across product development, technology, operations and support functions to improve productivity, speed and accuracy. EFX also signed an agreement to acquire Circulo de Credito for an enterprise value of $750 million. The Mexico-based credit bureau generated approximately $134 million in revenues in the 12 months ended June 2026, representing 31% growth, and recorded an adjusted EBITDA margin of roughly 46%. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026 and be accretive to adjusted earnings in the first year. For the third quarter of 2026, management expects revenues between $1.68 billion and $1.71 billion, suggesting growth of 8.7-10.7%. Adjusted earnings are projected between $2.15 and $2.25 per share. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be $547-$564 million. Equifax maintained its full-year revenue guidance of $6.71-$6.78 billion, implying growth of 10.5-11.6%. Adjusted earnings are anticipated between $8.39 and $8.69 per share. Adjusted EBITDA is forecast at $2.10-$2.16 billion. The company expects more than $1 billion in free cash flow and cash conversion above 100% for 2026. During the second quarter, it returned $366 million to shareholders, including $300 million in share repurchases and $66 million in dividends. In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in estimates review. Currently, Equifax has a nice Growth Score of B, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with an F. However, the stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. Notably, Equifax has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Equifax, Inc. (EFX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Clean Harbors, Inc. CLH reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with both earnings and revenues surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The earnings beat failed to impress the market, as the stock has dipped 4.7% since the release of the results on July 29. CLH posted earnings of $3.22 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by 17.5%. Revenues came in at $1.74 billion, exceeding the consensus mark of $1.63 billion by 6.8%. Earnings increased 36.4% year over year, while revenues rose 12%. The strong results reflected healthy disposal and recycling volumes, remediation and PFAS-related projects, strategic pricing initiatives and favorable market prices for re-refined products. Clean Harbors, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Clean Harbors, Inc. Quote Clean Harbors generated net income of $170.5 million, up 34.3% from $126.9 million in the year-ago quarter. Income from operations increased 27.9% year over year to $268.9 million. Gross profit rose 17.9% to $608.8 million, while the gross margin expanded to 35.1% from 33.3% a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA climbed 21.6% to $409 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 190 basis points to 23.6%, supported by stronger results across both operating segments. The company also maintained solid safety performance, with a year-to-date Total Recordable Incident Rate of 0.46. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $214.6 million from $186.2 million. Higher incentive compensation, insurance expenses, acquisition-related costs and strategic investments contributed to the increase. Environmental Services generated revenues of $1.46 billion, up 7.7% from the year-ago quarter. Segment adjusted EBITDA increased 8% to $406.1 million, while the adjusted EBITDA margin improved 10 basis points to 27.9%. Technical Services revenues rose 18%, driven by healthy demand for disposal and recycling services, project activity and acquisitions. A large-scale event contributed approximately $30 million to Technical Services revenues during the quarter. Incinerator utilization, including the new Kimball facility, increased to 91% from 86% a year earlier. The improvement reflected strength in the base business and project volumes. Landfill volumes jumped 7% on continued project wins. Safety-Kleen Environmental Services revenues advanced 11%, aided by pricing and higher volumes in containerized waste collection and vacuum services. Field Services revenues rose 3% despite a difficult year-over-year comparison that included major emergency-response projects. The segment has now delivered year-over-year adjusted EBITDA margin expansion for 17 consecutive quarters. Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions revenues surged 40.8% year over year to $278.4 million. The increase primarily resulted from a sharp rise in market prices for base and blended products amid global supply disruptions, along with higher charge-for-oil revenues. Segment adjusted EBITDA jumped 142.8% to $93 million, while its margin expanded to 33.4% from 19.4% in the prior-year period. The supply-constrained environment widened the company’s re-refining spread and significantly strengthened profitability. Clean Harbors collected 61 million gallons of waste oil compared with 64 million gallons a year earlier. Although collection volume declined, the company maintained a charge-for-oil rate that was considerably higher year over year. Blended products represented 21% of total volumes sold, up from 19% a year ago and 16% in the first quarter. Direct blended sales increased to 11% of total volumes from 9% in the year-ago quarter, reflecting new customer wins and closed-loop arrangements. The result significantly exceeded management’s expectations from the first-quarter earnings call, when it anticipated SKSS’ second-quarter growth to exceed 10% because of improving base oil prices. Cash provided by operating activities was $239.2 million, up from $208 million in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted free cash flow increased to $135.7 million from $133.2 million. Capital expenditures, net of asset-sale proceeds, were $124 million compared with $87.3 million a year ago. Clean Harbors also repurchased $27.1 million of shares during the quarter, up from $12 million in the year-ago period. The company ended June with $408.4 million in cash and cash equivalents and $108.4 million in short-term marketable securities. Its current and long-term debt totaled approximately $2.77 billion. For the third quarter of 2026, Clean Harbors expects adjusted EBITDA to increase 24-28% year over year. Management anticipates continued strength across both operating segments, supported by emergency-response work, PFAS opportunities, reshoring activity and favorable demand for re-refined products. Following the strong first-half performance, the company raised the midpoint of its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance by $110 million. Clean Harbors now expects adjusted EBITDA of $1.35-$1.41 billion, with a midpoint of $1.38 billion. The company also increased the midpoint of its adjusted free cash flow outlook by $30 million. Adjusted free cash flow is now projected between $520 million and $580 million, with a midpoint of $550 million. The outlook includes anticipated GAAP net income of $481-$531 million and net cash from operating activities of $890 million to $1.01 billion. Clean Harbors carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Waste Connections, Inc. WCN reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.50 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.35 by 11.1%. Earnings increased 16.3% from $1.29 in the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $2.56 billion surpassed the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion by 1.1% and rose 6.4% year over year. Equifax Inc. EFX reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.25 per share, up 12.5% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21 by 1.8%. Revenues increased 10.6% year over year to $1.7 billion and surpassed the consensus mark by a slight margin. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Clean Harbors, Inc. (CLH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Equifax, Inc. (EFX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Gartner, Inc. IT reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with both earnings and revenues surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Adjusted earnings of $4.37 per share beat the consensus estimate of $3.77 by 15.9% and increased 23.8% from the year-ago quarter’s $3.53. The improvement reflected higher operating profit and a considerably lower diluted share count. Revenues of $1.68 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $1.65 billion by 1.8%. Reported revenues declined 0.6% year over year because the prior-year period included revenues from the divested Digital Markets operation. Adjusted revenues increased 2.8% on a reported basis and 1.8% on a foreign-currency-neutral basis. Gartner, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Gartner, Inc. Quote Global contract value reached $5.28 billion, increasing 1.7% year over year and 0.3% sequentially on a foreign-currency-neutral basis. The improvement from 1% year-over-year growth in the first quarter indicates that subscription demand is gradually stabilizing. Global Technology Sales contract value was approximately $4 billion, rising 1.1% year over year and remaining nearly flat sequentially. Global Business Sales contract value increased 3.3% year over year and 1.2% sequentially to $1.28 billion. Global wallet retention was 98.2%, up from 97.7% in the preceding quarter but below 101.3% a year earlier. Client retention improved sequentially to 85.2% from 85%, compared with 84.6% in the year-ago quarter. Contract value per enterprise advanced to $414,000 from $376,000 a year ago, partly offsetting a 4.5% decline in client enterprises to 12,775. Insights revenues increased 2.1% year over year, or 1% on a foreign-currency-neutral basis, to $1.29 billion. Segment contribution rose 4% to $999 million. The contribution margin expanded 150 basis points to 77.5%, demonstrating the scalability of Gartner’s subscription-oriented research platform. Conferences delivered the strongest revenue growth. Segment revenues advanced 15.5% year over year, or 14.2% on a foreign-currency-neutral basis, to $244 million. Contribution jumped 19.6% to $145 million, while the contribution margin expanded 210 basis points to 59.5%. Same-conference revenues increased 12%, although attendee levels declined 1.4%. Gartner held 18 destination conferences during the quarter compared with 19 a year earlier, while destination conference attendance decreased slightly to 28,057 from 28,295. Consulting remained the weakest segment. Revenues declined 8.8% year over year to $142 million, while contribution fell 12.6% to $54 million. The contribution margin contracted 170 basis points to 37.9%. Labor-based consulting revenues decreased 12.8% to $96 million, whereas contract optimization revenues increased 0.9% to $46 million. Consulting backlog rose 9.1% to $214 million, offering some support for future revenues. Billable headcount fell 11.3% to 842, while utilization improved 32 basis points to 65.1%. Adjusted EBITDA excluding the divested operation increased 6.4% year over year, or 4.4% on a foreign-currency-neutral basis, to $466 million. The corresponding margin expanded 90 basis points to 27.8%. GAAP operating income advanced 15.7% to $378.5 million. The operating margin improved to 22.6% from 19.4% a year earlier, aided by lower service, product-development and administrative expenses. Net income increased 14.4% to $275.5 million. Earnings climbed 33.1% to $4.14 per share, with the faster per-share increase supported by a reduction in shares to 66.6 million from 77.4 million. Operating cash flow rose 3.8% to $398 million. With capital expenditures declining to $20 million from $36 million, free cash flow increased 8.9% to $378 million. The trailing-12-month free cash flow was approximately $1.3 billion. Gartner repurchased 3.6 million shares for $547 million during the quarter. Year-to-date repurchases totaled approximately $1.08 billion. The company had about $1.2 billion remaining under its repurchase authorization as of July 31 after the board approved an additional $500 million in July. Gartner ended the quarter with $1.49 billion in cash and approximately $3 billion in debt. Gross debt to adjusted EBITDA was 1.8 times, while net leverage stood at 0.9 times. Gartner now expects 2026 adjusted revenues of at least $6.38 billion, compared with the previous outlook of $6.41 billion. Insights revenues are now projected to be at least $5.17 billion, down from the prior guidance of $5.20 billion. The outlooks for Conferences and Consulting revenues were maintained at no less than $695 million and $510 million, respectively. Despite the revenue adjustment, the company raised its profitability forecast. Adjusted EBITDA excluding the divested operation is now expected to be at least $1.57 billion, up from $1.55 billion. Adjusted EPS guidance for 2026 increased to a minimum of $14 from $13.25, while the free cash flow forecast rose to at least $1.19 billion from $1.16 billion. Gartner carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Waste Connections, Inc. WCN reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.50 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.35 by 11.1%. Earnings increased 16.3% from $1.29 in the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $2.56 billion surpassed the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion by 1.1% and rose 6.4% year over year. Equifax Inc. EFX reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.25 per share, up 12.5% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21 by 1.8%. Revenues increased 10.6% year over year to $1.7 billion and surpassed the consensus mark by a slight margin. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Gartner, Inc. (IT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Equifax, Inc. (EFX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

In this episode of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, Motley Fool contributors Tyler Crowe, Matt Frankel, and Lou Whiteman discuss: Equifax’s and MSCI’s earnings and stock reactions. How AI costs are eating into profits. Halliburton’s comments on the oil market. Mailbag: Best banking ETF to buy now To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you're ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy. Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue » A full transcript is below. Before you buy stock in Equifax, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Equifax wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $390,394!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,209,184!* That performance is why people listen. With a track record of beating the S&P 500 by 4x, Stock Advisor offers a distinct advantage. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built for the long haul. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 30, 2026. This podcast was recorded on July 21, 2026. Tyler Crowe: Digesting today's earnings duds on Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing. Welcome to Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing. I'm your host, Tyler Crowe, and today, I'm joined by longtime Fool contributors Lou Whiteman and Matt Frankel. Earnings season is in full swing here. We got a whole bunch of companies reporting. We even related to the oil market. We're going to touch into Halliburton's earnings, but more on a state of the oil market analysis. We'll also hit in the mailbag. But today, we're going to start with the two companies that reported earlier this morning, and we could say were the duds of the earnings reports so far because they were MSCI and Equifax. Shares of bull stocks were down more than 10% in pre-market trading, and as of we're recording right now, MSCI is still down about 11%, Equifax is down about almost 7%. Obviously, the market didn't like what they were seeing. The funny thing was, as I was looking at the results just as a cursory glance before I got to talk to you guys, it looked like they both posted improving results, and even MSCI's earnings per share was up almost 20%. Guys, what happened here? Matt, I know you looked at Equifax; Lou, you looked at MSCI. What was going on? Matt Frankel: Equifax earnings on the surface, at least, were not a dud, 11% year-over-year revenue growth, earnings per share grew 13% on an adjusted basis and beat estimates. Revenue from the U.S. mortgage business is up 25%, which is nice to see, given the state of the mortgage market. The company actually doubled its AI-driven cost reduction estimate to $150 million through 2028. Cost reductions are a good thing. The stock was down, like you said, double digits in pre-market. It's rebounded a little bit, but it's still down despite the earnings beat. A few potential reasons and things to flag here. There was $100 million charge related to a credit miscalculation glitch that happened in 2023. GAAP earnings were down 4% year over year as a result, so that's worth noting. The adjusted EBITDA margins actually fell in all of the segments of the business year over year. Essentially, rising compensation costs, incentives, they're both rising faster than revenue. Most importantly, there's no easier way to make a stock go down than to lower your guidance. While they didn't really lower their guidance, they kept their full year. The third-quarter guidance was a little softer than expected. The adjusted EPS estimate would actually represent a sequential decline, and investors aren't thrilled. Really, this was a solid quarter with a disappointing outlook and margin trends that seem to be scaring investors. Lou Whiteman: Kind of a similar story over to MSCI. I don't know if people know this one as well. This former Morgan Stanley unit, it's a market data and analytics company separate from Morgan Stanley now. They grew revenue and earnings by double digits. The earnings number was a little light relative to expectations. Guys, I'm tempted to blame AI here. The company said that expenses were up 9%, primarily due to higher IT costs among other expenses. Maybe they are adding to their tech stack. There are also some accounting things going on. They recognize some amortization on related to acquisitions. Tyler, as he said, stock is down double digits. The market just has this one. Period. I'm just going to say it. Company is in growth mode. It launched twice as many products in the first half of 2026 as it did in all of 2024. Growing does come with costs. The costs are investment in the business. There's nothing wrong with the core business here. Tyler Crowe: I want to pick at something a little bit because reading through the lines of both of these, Matt, Equifax says that these AI-driven cost reductions of $150 million, but then their margins were down. Lou, as you said, higher IT costs. Some of it seemed to me implying tech costs, IT costs, AI costs, tokens, whatever cost you want to associate with using AI in their business seems to be rising, and the whole theory here was that AI costs were going to drive down a personnel cost to put the big domer approach was people out of jobs. But it appears that this is actually starting to for high data companies doing a lot of data processing like Equifax and MSCI, it is becoming a real cost headwind. I'm curious on your thoughts. How is this going to play out? People continuing to jump into these frontier models that are getting incredibly expensive and are they going to have to change their AI strategies? Matt Frankel: Well, with Equifax, in particular, it would have been easier if they gave the explanation MSCI did that higher IT costs while lowering personnel costs and things like that. But their margin compression was specifically blamed on rising compensation and incentive costs, it's a bit of a head scratcher. There are a few possible explanations. In order to train AI models and things like that, they need to bring on some new talent. That could definitely be a part of it. But it's a two-way street, when it comes to AI cost savings by making your business more efficient and having to pay more for the personnel that are putting those cost reductions in place. It remains to be seen if that's a temporary margin headwind as they ramp up these AI savings or if it's something that is worth further discussion. Lou Whiteman: I don't think we know yet if it's ongoing. There's definitely going to be investment. Just like I said, investment and growth. There's always one-time investments. As you're implementing, is it one-time investments, or is this tokens, and it's just going to be an ongoing thing? I don't know if we know the answer to that. I don't think the companies know the answer to that yet. But for now, I think there's at least an argument to be made that this is more investment capital than it is, just permanent ongoing expense. Tyler Crowe: I want to put a last question here because we've got two companies. Stocks are down quite a bit today in particular. Equifax is actually down 34% over the past year. MSCI has done a little bit better than that. Looking at stock prices right now, where the businesses are right now, which one do you think is the better buy today, Equifax or MSCI? Matt Frankel: On the surface, Equifax is definitely the cheaper stock. It trades for 18 times forward earnings last I looked, versus about 24 for MSCI. But there are concerns. Dependence on the mortgage market for growth, for one thing. Those margin trajectories I mentioned, it's a bit of a head scratcher that their compensation costs are rising while AI is making the business more efficient. MSCI is more expensive stock, but you get what you pay for. It's a higher margin business. It honestly has a more defensible mot which is validated by its record high revenue that we're seeing or retention rate that we're seeing. It's more of an expense problem with them than anything else with rising IT costs and things like that. To be clear, I'm not buying either of these right now and don't really have any plans to, but I'd probably lean toward MSCI if I were forced to choose one today. Lou Whiteman: I just don't want to buy a credit bureau. More of an ethical stance. I want them to be disrupted out of business, so I'm not going to buy it, but that's not a business case. Look, MSCI is a fantastic company. It scores really well on our Hidden Gems Moneyball database, which I think is a great place to go to screen for ideas. Definitely, MSCI would be my choice. It's been on my radar for a while. I'm talking about it now, so I'm not going to take advantage of this drop, but it's a really good company. Tyler Crowe: Coming up after the break, we're doing an analysis of the oil market. ADVERTISEMENT: In 2026, I've been trying to improve my health, but here's the thing I found if you're not tracking your blood work, you're basically flying blind. That's why I'm excited to partner with Rythm. Rythm is the world's easiest blood test to help you learn what's happening inside your body. Takes about two minutes at home, no needles, just a sleek and painless collection device that sticks on your arm. Once your blood is collected, you put the sample in the package that Rythm provides, and they will even arrange to have it picked up from your front door. I did my first test about a month ago. The Rythm kit came in the mail. I drew my blood in about two minutes. Couldn't be easier. 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Tyler Crowe: There's this small set of companies out there where even if you don't really have a financial stake owning the stock, or I don't know if you're one of those people who short stocks does that, too, just listening to what they have to say about their respective markets can be incredibly illuminating, and Halliburton is one of those companies. It may not be on everyone's radar as a potential stock to buy, being a oil and gas service company, but often it's market commentary that it provides. It gives a rare window into the oil market that we can't really get elsewhere because they work with the biggest companies in the world, the ExxonMobils all the way down to the wildcat drillers and they can really give you a sense of what the vibes, if you will, of the market is at any given moment. With the war in Iran escalating again, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is grinding back to a halt. It seemed like a good time to check in with what Halliburton was saying on its most recent earnings report, which came out earlier this morning. Guys, we had a task of looking through the earnings report, a little bit of market commentary. What were some of the key takeaways for you when you were looking at this report? Matt Frankel: A few things to unpack here. Halliburton’s international strength, especially when it comes to Latin America and Europe, it's helping to offset the disruption they're seeing from the Middle East. They're keeping their Middle East crews in place, which really sets them up nicely to capture demand once the war de-escalates, which hopefully happens. Hopefully, we actually get a lasting agreement at some point, and the war doesn't start and end another 72 times or whatever it is. It's also worth quantifying the disruption, which management did. They said on the call that rerouting due to the Hormuz situation and other conflict-related disruption could cost $0.07-$0.09 of earnings per share, but they did sound very optimistic when it comes to the next quarter. The most interesting part about this report, and maybe I'm just showing my ignorance of the oil market is, but it was the North American numbers they posted. North American revenue was flat at $2.2 billion, due in part to lower specialty chemical activities, but also due to decreased drilling activity in the Gulf of that really surprised me. Given the geopolitical backdrop, everything we're talking about with the Middle East, I thought that was interesting. Now, I note that CEO Jeff Miller said he was encouraged by signs that drilling and fracking are picking up in the U.S. Maybe it's just a timing thing that we're getting there. It just takes time. There's a lot of noise about the global picture, but North America is Halliburton's largest market, so I think that is good for the stock if it's picking up. I'm just surprised that given all of the attention that North America was flat, and it's just now starting to ramp up. Tyler Crowe: The Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of America, whatever you want to call it these days, that's been a weird sticking point for a lot of major oil and gas drillers because it takes 10 years sometimes to get one of these from exploration to production and so it's committing that much capital that long has been challenging when you've got fracking companies, it's like, well, in 30 days I can have a well up and running. Yes, it's less oil, but the turnaround on the investment is much sooner. I can see why that might be the case, but you would think with oil prices rising that would start to ease a little bit, but we haven't seen that. One of the reasons we haven't discussed the oil market as much, and it has been the challenge of translating what we're seeing with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Iran conflict, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict as well, it's hard to translate that into something that's thesis altering for a company on the long-term basis because we see these as hopefully things will get better sooner than later. I think the prevailing sentiment was that things would get resolved in Iran, Middle East area so that movement of oil roots are relatively short order when things started to happen. There was some supply and demand responses to soften the blow of the closure of Strait of Hormuz. But now we're several months in fighting is escalating again. We just got a report today from courts that said that the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is now at a 45-year low. I want to ask, and we can go in any direction you want here because oil, Strait of Hormuz, the Middle East in general, has some wide implications on other markets and not just oil here. Has anything happened in the past days, weeks, months related to this conflict or the broader conflicts of Ukraine and Russia as well that's changed your position or thesis on anything in your portfolios. It doesn't necessarily mean are you looking more at oil companies. What is something that you're seeing or maybe changing your thesis based on what we've been seeing? Matt Frankel: I'm not much of an energy investor in my own portfolio. I'm not going to be buying oil stocks based on this, but you're right, this does affect a lot of other areas of the market. Any company that depends on shipping costs could be potentially affected here. You're right, strategic petroleum reserve or SPR, it ended the week at the lowest level since 1983, and it now sits at about 44% of authorized capacity. Even if oil prices cooperate, you're talking about years for a full refill in the most likely scenario. The biggest thing, the biggest takeaway for me is that this doesn't specifically change anything right now, but it gives the U.S. a lot less of a shock absorber if the conflict escalates or if something else goes wrong. Remember, we're at the beginning of the worst part of hurricane season right now. That can cause oil disruptions. The point is, there's a lot more that can go wrong for oil than the Iran war. Keep that in mind, and we now have less of a cushion to bolster prices artificially, I guess, you would say. Lou Whiteman: I'm not buying energy here. To me, this year is the reason you have energy just lurking in the portfolio for a decade, and so now is not the time to buy. I don't think I've made any moves yet, but I am watching closely because I do think what Matt was saying, the macro implications could get interesting for a lot of different companies. The biggest surprise of 2026 in energy, to me, bigger than the Middle East War was China's demand flexibility. I'm oversimplifying it a bit here, Tyler, you can tell me if I'm wrong, but the way I read it is the biggest reason we didn't see oil spike to 200 or whatever the way oil experts thought it might, if the Strait was closed, was Chinese demand just came out of the market, which took the pressure off others. We know nothing about Chinese reserves. We don't know if that demand pullback is sustainable, if they're just tapping into massive reserves they have, if there's something else going on. We now have the Red Sea potentially closing to go along with issues in the Strait. We don't know what China's going to be able to do from here. It's impossible to predict, but we need to at least have it on the radar as a potential headwind that does finally zap a consumer in the U.S., and that would have a lot of ripples through the economy. Tyler Crowe: When it comes to the oil market, it always seems like the price of oil tends to move the most when you see reports of American drilling activity, American storage activity. There seems to be some oil price movements when we get those reports. In part because it's the most information we get when it comes to oil in general. Like you said, the Chinese inventories, consumption, things like that. Those numbers are, I don't want to say they're necessarily state secrets, but they're not nearly advertised or published, like we see here in the United States. To that point, there's been a lot of either draws on capacity or not filling unknown capacity that they have had for a long time that has been in some ways, a massive sale for this. I think the numbers I saw was something like five million barrels per day of Chinese imports just went away for reasons undetermined, other than they just said, we're going to stop buying. Whether or not that was going into storage or actual consumption, we don't really know. It's coming up after the break? We're going to dip into the mailbag. ADVERTISEMENT: The big arch just got bacon. More smokiness, more crispiness, more deliciousness. With juicy beef, chira cheese, and the big arch sauce. Now, topped with crispy bacon. The big arch just got bacon. 28th September, 2026, here from 11:00 AM, subject to availability. ADVERTISEMENT: Indeed presents Fires you can't afford to get wrong. Like warehouse operations manager. Where are the fool lists? I sold them. They were too expensive. I got a great deal on these scooters, though. You expect us to move a two ton palette on a scooter. It'll be fun. Just think of the core strength you'll build. This is a job for sponsored jobs. This is what happens when you don't sponsor your job on Indeed. So the next time you need someone to get the job done right, get matched with quality candidates with an indeed sponsored job. Visit indeed.com/nexthigher and sponsor your job today. Tyler Crowe: One quick reminder if you want to get your question answered live on air, go ahead and emails at podcast at fool.com. It's podcast with an s at fool.com. Also, the email is in the show description. Three requests that we always have is Number 1, keep it Foolish, keep it short and three, keep it as impersonal as possible so we don't get in trouble for giving individualized advice. Today's question comes in from Thomas Hanks, and it's actually oriented towards you, Matt. We wanted to make sure you were on when we did this. Question is, Hello fools I believe on one of your episodes, Matt said he had exposure to different banks through ETFs. I was wondering if you could tell us which banking financial ETF he likes. I had looked up a few and I was looking at the tickers are XLF and VFH. I know XLF’s a State Street ETF, and VFH has Vanguards. They're both financial ETFs. Could you discuss the pros and cons of each, or let me know if there are better choices? I've been wanting to hold it long term and obviously lower expense ratios. Thanks, Thomas. I did a quick cursory glance, and to be honest, over the past 20 years, I think the difference in performance on a net basis for both of these, was something like 10 or 15% difference in terms of total performance. Part of me says, splitting hairs here, but guys, what are some of the things that may be different about these two ETFs or if maybe there's some better alternatives out there? Matt Frankel: Well, first of all, I had no idea Tom Hanks was a fan of the show. That's pretty awesome [OVERLAPPING]. Tyler Crowe: That will be great. Matt Frankel: Those two, yes, you're right. I actually ran a statistical correlation, and they have a 0.99% correlation between the performance of the two over the long term. You're absolutely right. It's hard to make the case for one versus the other. They are rather different despite the big, the similarities in performance. The XLF is by far the most popular financial sector ETF. It is a more concentrated play. It owns about 75 stocks. It's market cap weighted and both of these also have a lot of exposure to insurance and payments processing. Berkshire Hathaway is the largest holding in the XLF. The Visa and Mastercard are among the top 10. It's not pure banking exposure. Really, the VHF, it's more than 400 stocks and significantly more exposure to small and mid caps, but like you said, the long term returns are the same. The big thing you want to look at is how how directly do you want to invest in banks versus the financial sector? Like I said, the financial sector includes insurance, payment processing, and other things. You might want to look at the one with Ticker symbol as KBE, that's the S&P Bank ETF. Expense ratio is a little higher 0.35%. That's not outrageous, and it has an equal weighted approach to bank stocks. Meaning that J. P. Morgan Chase and a regional bank would have the exact same weighting in the fund. You might want to take a look at that one. Then there's another one that's called the KBWB, it's the Invesco KBW Bank ETF. That only has about 25 stocks, mostly large banks. The top 10 positions are 65% of the assets. If you just want to invest in the large banks, that's one that could be worth a look. But the two you mentioned, they're the lowest cost options. They're the most diverse options, and the performance is very similar. Lou Whiteman: Matt did a good job breaking it down. But I think these are the two things no matter what sector it is that you want to look for in ETFs, A, what is actually in there? There's a lot of examples of things that have a name, but if you actually look at what's in the portfolio, you might be surprised. Always go to their website, and list their holdings and see if it is actually if you're getting the exposure you want. Two, Tyler and the question Thomas said, I focused on expense ratios, but said, I'm willing to pay a little more for upside. I'm with you on the expense ratios, but Thomas, I personally, and this is just me, given that upside is never guaranteed and actively managed funds, for the most part, tend to lose to the market over time. I'm less willing to pay a little more for the potential upside, so I think trust your gut there with just get low fees because that's the one thing you can guarantee. Matt Frankel: I would add to that. I'm not willing to pay more for potential upside for the reasons Lou just mentioned. I am willing to pay more to invest in exactly what I want. Like I said, pure banks versus a mix of banks and insurance companies and things like that. I am willing to pay a little bit higher of an expense ratio to get exactly what I want my portfolio. Tyler Crowe: Always, probably the most important things when it comes to ETF and whenever we have these questions, it's always going to be the fees and exposure to what you want. When we're talking about ETF, it's pretty much going to distill down to that [inaudible]. As always, people on the program may have interest in stocks they talk about, and The Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against, so don't buy yourself stocks based solely on what you hear. All personal finance content follows Motley Fool editorial standards, and it is not approved by advertisers. Advertisements are sponsored content and provide for informational purposes only. To see our Fool advertising disclosure, please check out our shows. Thanks for producer Dan Boyd and the rest of the Motley Fool team. For Lou, Matt and myself, thanks for listening, and we'll chat again soon. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Lou Whiteman has positions in Berkshire Hathaway. Matt Frankel, CFP® has positions in Berkshire Hathaway. Tyler Crowe has positions in Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Equifax, JPMorgan Chase, MSCI, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Capital Market Earnings Crash Out was originally published by The Motley Fool

IQVIA Holdings Inc. IQV has reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $3.15 per share, rising 12.1% year over year and beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.02 by 4.3%. Revenues of $4.36 billion increased 8.7% and topped the consensus mark of $4.29 billion by 1.6%. The quarter benefited from broad-based segment growth and strengthening demand indicators. R&D Solutions generated record net new bookings of $3.15 billion, up 19% year over year, producing a 1.22X book-to-bill ratio. IQVIA Holdings Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | IQVIA Holdings Inc. Quote Commercial Solutions revenues were $1.79 billion, increasing 8.6% on a reported basis and 8.4% at constant currency. The business contributed roughly 41% to the total quarterly revenues. Growth reflected double-digit gains in patient solutions and commercial engagement services. Analytics and consulting delivered high-single-digit organic growth, while increased adoption of IQVIA’s artificial intelligence solutions also contributed to the segment’s accelerating organic growth. Research & Development Solutions revenues reached $2.58 billion, up 8.8% as reported and 8.6% at constant currency. Excluding reimbursed expenses, revenues advanced 6.7% on a reported basis. Demand indicators strengthened considerably. Trailing-12-month net new bookings rose 13% to $11.3 billion, while contracted backlog stood at $34.2 billion. IQVIA expects $9.2 billion of that backlog to convert into revenues over the next 12 months, representing 7.5% year-over-year growth. The strong bookings performance provides improved visibility into future clinical research revenues. It also supports management’s expectation for sustained business momentum through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027. Adjusted EBITDA increased 9.2% year over year to $994 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin was 22.8%, modestly above the prior-year level, as profit growth slightly outpaced revenue growth. Adjusted net income increased to $527 million from $486 million. The improvement reflected stronger operating performance despite higher stock-based compensation, restructuring-related expenses and acquisition-related costs included in the company’s reconciliation. GAAP net income attributable to IQVIA was $256 million, down from $266 million a year earlier. GAAP diluted earnings were $1.53 per share compared with $1.54 in the prior-year quarter. Cost of revenues increased to $2.93 billion from $2.69 billion in the year-ago quarter. Selling, general and administrative expenses rose to $574 million from $509 million, while depreciation and amortization increased to $292 million. Restructuring costs nearly doubled to $63 million from $32 million. As a result, GAAP income from operations remained unchanged at $506 million despite the higher revenue base. Interest expenses increased to $197 million from $182 million. These cost pressures explain the contrast between the decline in GAAP net income and stronger growth in adjusted earnings and EBITDA. The second-quarter operating cash flow climbed 26% year over year to $558 million. The free cash flow rose 23.3% to $360 million after $198 million of property, equipment and software spending. For the first half, the operating cash flow totaled $1.18 billion and the free cash flow reached $851 million. IQVIA repurchased $398 million of common stock during the quarter, bringing first-half repurchases to $950 million. IQVIA ended June with $1.91 billion in cash and cash equivalents, and $16 billion in debt. Net debt was $14.09 billion, while the net leverage ratio stood at 3.59X trailing-12-month adjusted EBITDA. The company had $2.82 billion remaining under its share-repurchase authorization. Its current portion of long-term debt was $2.29 billion compared with $1.84 billion at the end of 2025. IQVIA raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $17.28-$17.48 billion from $17.15-$17.35 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pinned at $17.26 billion. The new midpoint implies 6.5% growth from 5.8% under the previous outlook. The updated forecast assumes 200 basis points of contribution from acquisitions, up from 150 basis points previously. It also incorporates a foreign-exchange tailwind of approximately 20 basis points, down from the prior assumption of 100 basis points. Adjusted EBITDA guidance increased to $4-$4.05 billion from $3.98-$4.03 billion. IQVIA also lifted adjusted diluted earnings guidance to $12.80-$13 from $12.65-$12.95, reflecting stronger expected organic revenue growth, and revised acquisition and currency impacts. The consensus estimate for earnings is set at $12.78 per share. IQV carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Waste Connections, Inc. WCN reported impressive second-quarter 2026 results. WCN reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.50 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.35 by 11.1%. Earnings increased 16.3% from $1.29 in the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $2.56 billion surpassed the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion by 1.1% and rose 6.4% year over year. Equifax Inc. EFX posted second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.25 per share, up 12.5% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21 by 1.8%. Revenues increased 10.6% year over year to $1.7 billion and surpassed the consensus mark by a slight margin. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Equifax, Inc. (EFX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Waste Connections, Inc. WCN reported impressive second-quarter 2026 results, wherein earnings and revenues outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimates. The stock price has not witnessed any significant impact of the earnings beat since the company released results on July 22. WCN reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.50 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.35 by 11.1%. Earnings increased 16.3% from $1.29 in the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $2.56 billion surpassed the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion by 1.1% and rose 6.4% year over year. Strong pricing and operational execution supported the results, although solid waste unit volumes declined 1.9%. Waste Connections shares have moved up 3.9% in the past three months, beating the industry's 2.7% increase and the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s 3.2% rally. Waste Connections, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Waste Connections, Inc. Quote Solid waste internal growth was 3.6% in the quarter. Core price increased 5.6%, while yield, which reflects the average price per unit of service after customer and business-mix changes, improved 4.6%. Fuel and material surcharges contributed 1.1%. Unit volumes fell 1.9%, reflecting sluggish construction activity and customer churn related partly to fuel surcharges. Roll-off pulls declined 2%, while rates per pull rose 5%. Landfill tons were nearly flat, as a 1% increase in construction and demolition volumes offset weaker special waste activity. Solid Waste Collection revenues increased 5.8% year over year to $1.78 billion. Solid Waste Disposal and Transfer revenues advanced 5.1% to $464.3 million. These businesses benefited from pricing, while softer volumes limited organic growth. Solid Waste Recycling revenues declined 8.1% to $61.4 million due to lower commodity values. E&P Waste Treatment, Recovery and Disposal revenues surged 18.3% to $201 million. Intermodal and Other revenues rose 18.3% to $51.3 million. Adjusted EBITDA increased 6.8% year over year to $840.1 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 10 basis points to 32.8%. Underlying margin expansion was 70 basis points, driven partly by improved employee retention, safety performance and lower risk-management costs. Fuel costs reduced the margin by approximately 40 basis points, while lower commodity values created a 20-basis-point drag. Management expects full-year core pricing of at least 5.5% and anticipates recovering elevated fuel expenses over time through surcharges. Operating expenses increased 6.2% to $1.48 billion. Selling, general and administrative expenses rose 7.2% to $260.5 million. Reported operating income declined 4.8% to $437.6 million, reflecting $58.5 million in impairments and other operating items. Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $733.3 million in the quarter compared with $638.2 million a year earlier. The adjusted free cash flow increased 24.7% to $457.5 million, representing 17.9% of revenues. For the first six months of 2026, capital expenditure was $598.9 million. WCN also spent $614.5 million in share repurchases and $177.1 million in dividends. The company ended June with $98.2 million in cash and equivalents, and $9.28 billion in long-term debt. The company completed acquisitions representing approximately $100 million in annualized revenues during the first half. Another $30 million of exclusive-market franchise transactions was expected to close shortly, while management continued to anticipate an above-average acquisition year. WCN’s artificial intelligence pricing tool has generated roughly $20 million in annualized EBITDA benefits. Management is also testing AI-based routing technology and developing customer-service tools. Across seven programs, Waste Connections expects its $100-million AI investment to ultimately produce $100 million in EBITDA improvement as implementation progresses through 2028 and 2029. Waste Connections raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $10.02-$10.05 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pinned at $10 billion. Adjusted EBITDA is projected between $3.33 billion and $3.34 billion, implying a margin of 33.2% to 33.3%. The company maintained its adjusted free cash flow forecast of $1.4 billion to $1.45 billion, and capital expenditure projection of $1.25 billion. The outlook excludes acquisitions that may close during the remainder of the year. WCN carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Equifax Inc. EFX reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.25 per share, up 12.5% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21 by 1.8%. Revenues increased 10.6% year over year to $1.7 billion and surpassed the consensus mark by a slight margin. FactSet Research Systems Inc. FDS posted third-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings of $4.53 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.44 by 2%. The figure increased 6.1% from the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $622.9 million surpassed the consensus mark of $617.2 million by 0.9% and rose 6.4% year over year. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Equifax, Inc. (EFX) : Free Stock Analysis Report FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

For the quarter ended June 2026, Equifax (EFX) reported revenue of $1.7 billion, up 10.6% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $2.25, compared to $2.00 in the year-ago quarter. The reported revenue represents a surprise of +0.32% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.69 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $2.21, the EPS surprise was +1.81%. While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health. As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately. Here is how Equifax performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Operating revenue- Total International: $383.1 million versus $380.17 million estimated by 18 analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +8.4% change. Operating revenue- U.S. Information Solutions: $611.6 million versus the 18-analyst average estimate of $606.29 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +17.3%. Operating revenue- Latin America: $109 million compared to the $109.26 million average estimate based on 16 analysts. The reported number represents a change of +9.4% year over year. Operating revenue- Canada: $73.3 million versus the 16-analyst average estimate of $72.85 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +5.8%. Operating revenue- Europe: $101.1 million versus the 16-analyst average estimate of $105.04 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +1.9%. Operating revenue- Asia Pacific: $99.7 million versus $93.05 million estimated by 16 analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +16.9% change. Operating revenue- Workforce Solutions: $705.4 million versus $713.4 million estimated by 18 analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +6.5% change. Operating revenue- Workforce Solutions- Employer Services: $97.8 million versus the 16-analyst average estimate of $96.88 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +3%. Operating revenue- Workforce Solutions- Verification Services: $607.6 million versus $617.09 million estimated by 16 analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +7.1% change. Operating revenue- U.S. Information Solutions- Financial Marketing Services: $66.2 million versus the 15-analyst average estimate of $66.49 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +3.9%. Operating revenue- U.S. Information Solutions- Online Information Solutions: $545.4 million versus $541.04 million estimated by 15 analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +19.1% change. Adjusted EBITDA- U.S. Information Solutions: $200.4 million versus the six-analyst average estimate of $201.09 million. View all Key Company Metrics for Equifax here>>> Shares of Equifax have returned +17.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -0.6% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Equifax, Inc. (EFX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Equifax Inc. EFX has reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.25 per share, up 12.5% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21 by 1.8%. Revenues increased 10.6% year over year to $1.7 billion and surpassed the consensus mark by a slight margin. Strong growth in U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), mortgage services and verification offerings supported the results. The company’s new-product Vitality Index was 16%. EFX share price has increased marginally over the past three months against an 8.2% dip in its industry and a 4.5% rally of the Zacks S&P 500 composite. Equifax, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Equifax, Inc. Quote Workforce Solutions revenues increased 7% year over year to $705.4 million. Verification Services revenues advanced 7% to $607.6 million, aided by high-double-digit growth in Talent Solutions and Consumer Lending. Workforce Solutions mortgage revenues rose 8%. Employer Services revenues increased 3% to $97.8 million. The Government business signed new contracts and renewals totaling roughly $300 million in annual contract value during the first half of 2026. About $100 million represented new business, while approximately $200 million came from renewals. The segment’s operating margin contracted to 44.9% from 46.4% a year earlier. The adjusted EBITDA margin declined to 52.1% from 53.3%, indicating that revenue growth did not fully translate into margin expansion. USIS revenues climbed 17% year over year to $611.6 million. Online Information Solutions revenues increased 19% to $545.4 million, while Financial Marketing Services revenues grew 4% to $66.2 million. USIS mortgage revenues rose 40%, benefiting from share gains and the increased adoption of the company’s mortgage scoring products. About 1,300 mortgage lenders were using VantageScore by July 2026, while second-quarter VantageScore transactions totaled 2.2 million, nearly three times the first-quarter level. The segment’s operating margin was 22.5%, down slightly from 22.6% in the prior-year quarter. The adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 32.8% from 35%, reflecting the impacts of FICO-related mortgage royalty expenses despite strong revenue growth. International revenues rose 8% on a reported basis and 4% in local currency to $383.1 million. The Asia Pacific delivered the strongest reported rally, with revenues increasing 17% to $99.7 million. Local-currency growth was 7%, driven by Online B2B and commercial offerings. Latin America revenues advanced 9% on a reported basis and 3% in local currency to $109 million. Canada revenues grew 6% to $73.3 million, while Europe revenues increased 2% on a reported basis and 1% in local currency to $101.1 million. The international operating margin expanded to 12.1% from 10.9%. The adjusted EBITDA margin improved 120 basis points to 27.6%, supported by operating leverage and continued new product execution. Adjusted EBITDA increased 10.6% year over year to $552.1 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin remained flat at 32.5%. Excluding FICO mortgage royalties, management indicated that the adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 120 basis points. Reported net income attributable to Equifax declined 3.9% to $183.9 million. GAAP diluted earnings increased to $1.54 per share from $1.53, helped by a lower diluted share count. The quarter included a $40-million pre-tax charge, net of expected insurance recoveries, related to a legal settlement associated with a previously disclosed coding issue. Acquisition-related amortization expenses totaled $61.2 million. The company doubled its 2026-2028 AI-driven cost and capital savings target to $150 million. Equifax is deploying artificial intelligence across product development, technology, operations and support functions to improve productivity, speed and accuracy. EFX also signed an agreement to acquire Circulo de Credito for an enterprise value of $750 million. The Mexico-based credit bureau generated approximately $134 million in revenues in the 12 months ended June 2026, representing 31% growth, and recorded an adjusted EBITDA margin of roughly 46%. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026 and be accretive to adjusted earnings in the first year. For the third quarter of 2026, management expects revenues between $1.68 billion and $1.71 billion, suggesting growth of 8.7-10.7%. The guided range’s midpoint ($1.69 billion) meets the current Zack Consensus Estimate. Adjusted earnings are projected between $2.15 and $2.25 per share. The midpoint ($2.2) of the outlook is marginally lower than the consensus estimate of $2.21. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be $547-$564 million. Equifax maintained its full-year revenue guidance of $6.71-$6.78 billion, implying growth of 10.5-11.6%. The guidance’s midpoint ($6.75 billion) is slightly above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.74 billion. Adjusted earnings are anticipated between $8.39 and $8.69 per share. The midpoint ($8.54) of the outlook is lower than the consensus estimate of $8.56. Adjusted EBITDA is forecast at $2.10-$2.16 billion. The company expects more than $1 billion in free cash flow and cash conversion above 100% for 2026. During the second quarter, it returned $366 million to shareholders, including $300 million in share repurchases and $66 million in dividends. Equifax carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. FactSet Research Systems Inc. FDS reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings of $4.53 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.44 by 2%. The figure increased 6.1% from the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $622.9 million surpassed the consensus mark of $617.2 million by 0.9% and rose 6.4% year over year. Paychex, Inc. PAYX posted solid fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results. Adjusted earnings of $1.32 per share surpassed the consensus estimate of $1.31 by a slight margin and increased 11% from the year-ago quarter. PAYX’s total revenues of $1.61 billion rose 12% year over year and beat the consensus estimate by a slight margin. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Equifax, Inc. (EFX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Paychex, Inc. (PAYX) : Free Stock Analysis Report FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research