Insider Selling: Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) COO Sells 6,666 Shares of Stock

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.57, for a total value of $317,101.62. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 101,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,835,300.22. This trade represents a 6.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Equitable Trading Down 1.9 %

NYSE EQH traded down $0.89 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $46.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,338,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,628,704. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 0.07 and a quick ratio of 0.12. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $35.49 and a 52-week high of $56.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 1.23.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 85.70%. Research analysts expect that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on EQH shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Equitable from $68.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Equitable from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays boosted their price target on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Equitable from $62.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Equitable from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equitable currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.91.

Institutional Trading of Equitable

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Equitable by 20.0% during the 1st quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 24,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 26.2% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,815,000 after acquiring an additional 7,240 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Equitable by 6.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of Equitable during the first quarter worth about $268,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equitable in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

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.