BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Stock

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) had its price objective raised by BMO Capital Markets from $69.00 to $72.00 in a research note published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on EQH. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays raised their price objective 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $58.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Equitable from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.83.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of EQH opened at $54.10 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 0.07 and a quick ratio of 0.12. The firm has a market cap of $16.95 billion, a PE ratio of 14.16 and a beta of 1.39. Equitable has a 1 year low of $32.96 and a 1 year high of $56.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $51.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.69.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a return on equity of 85.70% and a net margin of 10.51%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Equitable 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 given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.13%.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In related news, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 1,700 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 17,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $825,162.36. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.31, for a total transaction of $1,419,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 639,939 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,275,514.09. The trade was a 4.48 % 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. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.