Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,128,910 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,702,001 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.73% of Equitable worth $1,631,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of EQH. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Equitable by 592.6% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 561 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Equitable during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in Equitable in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Equitable by 92.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 64.0% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on EQH shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $60.00 target price on Equitable in a research report on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Equitable from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Equitable from $62.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Mizuho set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Equitable in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equitable presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In other Equitable news, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 4,300 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.27, for a total value of $203,261.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 15,625 shares in the company, valued at $738,593.75. The trade was a 21.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Nick Lane sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.87, for a total value of $1,436,100.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 119,958 shares in the company, valued at $5,742,389.46. The trade was a 20.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 157,280 shares of company stock worth $7,455,677. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Equitable Stock Performance

Equitable stock opened at $44.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.42, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.13. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.39 and a 12 month high of $56.61. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $46.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.70. The company has a market cap of $12.66 billion, a PE ratio of -9.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 1.12.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is -22.41%.

Equitable announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 11th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 7.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.