Ieq Capital LLC Buys New Position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)

Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 30,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Creative Planning lifted its position in shares of Equitable by 3.6% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $569,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equitable by 5.1% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in shares of Equitable by 2.4% during the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 88,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,724,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its holdings in Equitable by 28.5% during the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 63,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,669,000 after acquiring an additional 14,100 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Equitable by 18.5% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170 shares during the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on EQH shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays raised their target price on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Equitable from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Equitable has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.58.

Equitable Price Performance

EQH stock opened at $53.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $51.03 and a 200-day moving average of $46.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.95 and a beta of 1.39. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.96 and a 12 month high of $56.00.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last released 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.80%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In other news, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.68, for a total transaction of $79,356.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 17,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $825,162.36. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 98,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,677,776.25. This trade represents a 6.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,698 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,234 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Equitable 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.