Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Stock Price Up 3.7% – Still a Buy?

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) was up 3.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $54.78 and last traded at $53.26. Approximately 571,338 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 2,780,409 shares. The stock had previously closed at $51.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on EQH. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $47.00 to $58.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Equitable from $53.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Equitable from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Equitable in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.58.

Equitable Trading Up 4.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $16.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.05 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $50.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last issued its 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 EPS for the current year.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.13%.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equitable

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Equitable by 195.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Equitable by 61.5% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 646 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 111.2% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Equitable by 33.2% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. grew its position in Equitable by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. now owns 1,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Equitable

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.