Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Stock Price

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) had its price target lifted by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $62.00 to $67.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price suggests a potential upside of 27.57% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Equitable from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays raised their price target on Equitable from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Raymond James Financial set a $58.00 price target on Equitable and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Mizuho set a $68.00 price objective on shares of Equitable in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Equitable from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.17.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQH opened at $52.52 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $46.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.10. Equitable has a 12-month low of $35.19 and a 12-month high of $55.24. The firm has a market cap of $14.34 billion, a PE ratio of -15.87, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.75.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.84 billion. Equitable had a positive return on equity of 511.35% and a negative net margin of 8.72%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 29.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Equitable will post 7.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In other Equitable news, Director Charles G.T. Stonehill sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.54, for a total transaction of $386,550.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 34,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,770,759.78. The trade was a 17.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 1,466 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.15, for a total transaction of $74,985.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 26,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,353,684.75. This represents a 5.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 138,416 shares of company stock worth $6,351,729 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equitable

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Equitable during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in Equitable by 64.1% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 888 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Equitable in the second quarter worth $33,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Equitable by 124.7% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 728 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Equitable in the third quarter valued at $38,000. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Equitable News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equitable this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Buybacks and the Corebridge merger support the bullish case. An investment analysis maintained a “Strong Buy” view, citing approximately $1.8 billion in expected 2026 cash generation, at least $4.30 per share in capital returns and buybacks that could reduce the share count by about 8%. The Corebridge transaction is projected to generate roughly $550 million in cost synergies and approximately 10% EPS accretion by 2027. Equitable Holdings: Buybacks And Credit Resilience Make Shares Attractive
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat estimates and the dividend remains intact. EQH reported quarterly EPS of $1.70, above the $1.65 consensus and up from $1.10 a year earlier. The company also paid its $0.30 quarterly dividend, equal to $1.20 annually and an approximately 2.3% yield.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets imply further upside. The reported consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $60.75. Recent targets include $60 from Wells Fargo, $62 from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and $66 from Jefferies, although some analysts have adopted more cautious views.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional investor activity is mixed. Hedge funds and other institutions own approximately 92.7% of EQH. Several investors added shares during the second quarter, while other large holders reduced or exited positions.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders sold shares. Director Charles G.T. Stonehill sold 7,500 shares for approximately $386,550, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 1,466 shares for about $74,986, and Chief Accounting Officer William Eckert sold 947 shares for roughly $50,077. Reports indicate 34 insider sales and no insider purchases over the past six months, which may weigh on sentiment. Equitable Insider Trading Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue remains a concern. Quarterly revenue declined 29.8% year over year to $1.66 billion, substantially below the $3.84 billion analyst estimate, despite the earnings beat.

About Equitable

Equitable Holdings, Inc (NYSE: EQH) is a leading provider of life insurance, annuities and retirement plan services in the United States. Through its insurance subsidiary, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, the firm offers a broad range of permanent and term life insurance products designed to help individuals and families manage risk and build wealth. In addition, Equitable provides fixed, variable and indexed annuity solutions to support income planning in retirement, as well as a suite of group retirement and pension plan services for employers and plan sponsors.

The company also maintains an asset management arm that delivers investment strategies across equities, fixed income and alternative asset classes for both retail and institutional clients.