NFC Investments LLC Buys Shares of 75,000 Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)

NFC Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 75,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,538,000. Equitable makes up about 1.0% of NFC Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew 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 buying an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Equitable by 33.2% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 799 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Equitable by 298.3% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equitable by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Equitable by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

Equitable Price Performance

EQH opened at $51.28 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The company has a market cap of $15.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.42 and a beta of 1.39. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $35.18 and a 12-month high of $56.00.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share 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 predict that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Equitable’s payout ratio is presently 25.13%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Nick Lane sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 141,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,492,273.36. This trade represents a 15.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $79,356.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 17,677 shares in the company, valued at $825,162.36. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 95,032 shares of company stock worth $4,799,566 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Equitable from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Equitable from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equitable has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.75.

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.