Quantbot Technologies LP Reduces Stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)

Quantbot Technologies LP lessened its position in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 21.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 84,079 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,496 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Equitable were worth $3,966,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Global Investments grew its position in Equitable by 710.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 138,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,544,000 after buying an additional 121,621 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Equitable by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 114,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,387,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Equitable by 23,697.2% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 8,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 8,531 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in Equitable by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 87,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,111,000 after purchasing an additional 4,775 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Equitable by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 72,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,422,000 after buying an additional 11,450 shares in the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equitable Trading Up 3.5 %

Shares of EQH opened at $51.28 on Friday. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.00 and a fifty-two week high of $56.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.07. The company’s fifty day moving average is $52.36 and its 200 day moving average is $47.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.79 billion, a PE ratio of 13.42 and a beta of 1.39.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 85.70%. Sell-side analysts expect that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EQH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Equitable from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Nick Lane sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.84, for a total value of $1,146,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 141,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,492,273.36. This represents a 15.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 1,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.68, for a total value of $79,356.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 17,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $825,162.36. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,698 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,234 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Equitable Company Profile

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.