Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Shares Acquired by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 17,936 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Equitable were worth $846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Equitable by 195.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Equitable by 61.5% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Equitable in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Equitable by 86.3% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Equitable by 298.3% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equitable Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of EQH stock opened at $52.23 on Friday. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.72 and a fifty-two week high of $54.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $49.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.31. The stock has a market cap of $16.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -47.91 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a positive return on equity of 76.47% and a negative net margin of 2.64%. On average, analysts anticipate that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 6 EPS for the current year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -88.07%.

Insider Activity at Equitable

In other news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.31, for a total transaction of $315,368.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 98,875 shares in the company, valued at $4,677,776.25. This trade represents a 6.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total value of $1,422,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 648,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,760,963.65. This trade represents a 4.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 155,032 shares of company stock worth $7,587,971. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on EQH shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Equitable from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays raised their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Equitable in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Equitable from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $54.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equitable presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.67.

About Equitable

Equitable Holdings, Inc, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, operates as a diversified financial services company worldwide. The company operates through six segments: Individual Retirement, Group Retirement, Investment Management and Research, Protection Solutions, Wealth Management, and Legacy.