EQUIFAX INC vs SLM Corp, two Credit Services stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
What is priced in: Equifax at 27.9 times earnings is priced for credit-data compounding, SLM (Sallie Mae) at 7.1 for student-lending spreads to hold against policy risk. SLM earns the far higher return on equity, 30.7% against 15.3%, and nets 49.8% of revenue against Equifax's 11.1%, the lender's spreads dwarfing the data toll's take. Equifax carries 1.16 turns of debt against SLM's 2.53; Equifax pays 1.2%, SLM 2%. The market pays Equifax nearly four times SLM's multiple despite SLM's superior returns and margins, pricing recurring risk-free data above cyclical, policy-exposed lending. The pair prices predictability against profitability, and predictability wins the multiple by a landslide.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | EFX | SLM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $158.41 | $25.47 |
| Market cap | $19.1B | $5.0B |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +18.1% | — |
| P/E | 27.9 | 7.1 |
| P/B | 4.19 | 2.07 |
| P/S | 3.05 | 3.35 |
| EV/EBITDA | 12.9 | 1397.9 |
| Revenue growth | +9.6% | +2.3% |
| Operating margin | 17.4% | — |
| Net margin | 11.1% | 49.8% |
| Return on equity | 15.3% | 30.7% |
| Return on assets | 5.8% | 2.5% |
| Dividend yield | 1.2% | 2.0% |
| Debt / equity | 1.16 | 2.53 |
| Current ratio | 0.61 | — |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.86 | 0.40 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.