EFX vs. PAYX: Equifax vs. Paychex Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX) both belong to the Professional Services industry, though EFX is classified under Research & Consulting Services while PAYX falls under Human Resource & Employment Services.

Company profile comparison for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX)
Profile Item	EFX	PAYX
Name	Equifax Inc.	Paychex Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Commercial & Professional Services	Commercial & Professional Services
GICS Industry	Professional Services	Professional Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Research & Consulting Services	Human Resource & Employment Services
Market Capitalization	22.27 billion USD	41.67 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	August 26, 1983
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

EFX

PAYX

GSPC

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX)
Metric	EFX	PAYX
Total Return (1Y)	-7.77%	7.76%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	1.72%	4.26%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-7.34%	1.96%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

EFX

PAYX

GSPC

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX)
Metric	EFX	PAYX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.48%	30.84%
Beta (5Y)	1.25	0.79
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-54.43%	-44.95%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.67M	2.88M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

EFX and PAYX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX)
Metric	EFX	PAYX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.29	0.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.41	0.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 47.06% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Equifax (EFX) at 15.44% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for PAYX.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

15.44%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
EFX: 15.44%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

47.06%

PAYX: 47.06%
Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their ROE against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 27.35% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Equifax (EFX) at 11.27% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

11.27%

Max: 23.28%
Q3: 11.35%
EFX: 11.27%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

27.35%

PAYX: 27.35%
Max: 23.28%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Equifax (EFX) at 20.99% and Paychex (PAYX) at 38.50% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

20.99%

Max: 38.50%
EFX: 20.99%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

38.50%

PAYX: 38.50%
Max: 38.50%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX)
Metric	EFX	PAYX
ROE (TTM)	15.44%	47.06%
ROA (TTM)	6.67%	10.19%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.27%	27.35%
Operating Margin (TTM)	20.99%	38.50%
Gross Margin (TTM)	55.18%	74.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Paychex (PAYX) at 16.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Equifax (EFX) at 6.92% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for PAYX.

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Equifax (EFX) at 9.92% and Paychex (PAYX) at 6.77% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX)
Metric	EFX	PAYX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.92%	16.88%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.85%	9.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	9.92%	6.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.99%	4.38%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Paychex (PAYX) at 1.28 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Equifax (EFX) at 1.09 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for EFX.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.09

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
Q1: 1.09
EFX: 1.09
Min: 0.45

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.28

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
PAYX: 1.28
Q1: 1.09
Min: 0.45

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Equifax (EFX) at 1.13 and Paychex (PAYX) at 1.25 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.13

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
EFX: 1.13
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.25

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
PAYX: 1.25
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX)
Metric	EFX	PAYX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.09	1.28
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.13	1.25
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.47	1.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 3.80% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Equifax (EFX) at 1.12% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, PAYX the richer one.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.12%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
EFX: 1.12%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

3.80%

Max: 4.33%
PAYX: 3.80%
Q3: 1.80%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Equifax (EFX) at 35.28% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Paychex (PAYX) at 90.08% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

35.28%

Max: 99.58%
Q3: 41.99%
EFX: 35.28%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

90.08%

Max: 99.58%
PAYX: 90.08%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX)
Metric	EFX	PAYX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.12%	3.80%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	35.28%	90.08%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Equifax (EFX) at 30.68 and Paychex (PAYX) at 23.23 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

30.68

Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
EFX: 30.68
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

23.23

Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
PAYX: 23.23
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Equifax (EFX) at 3.38 and Paychex (PAYX) at 6.31 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

3.38

Max: 7.17
EFX: 3.38
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

6.31

Max: 7.17
PAYX: 6.31
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Equifax (EFX) at 4.96 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Paychex (PAYX) at 11.25 carries an above-peer premium to book — PAYX is pricier on assets.

EFX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.96

Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
EFX: 4.96
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

11.25

PAYX: 11.25
Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

Equifax (EFX) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Equifax (EFX) and Paychex (PAYX)
Metric	EFX	PAYX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	30.68	23.23
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.38	6.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.96	11.25
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.24%	4.53%