Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Stock Price Up 3.7% – Time to Buy?

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)’s share price was up 3.7% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $54.78 and last traded at $53.26. Approximately 571,338 shares were traded 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EQH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Equitable from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on 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 Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Equitable from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equitable currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.83.

Equitable Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The company has a market capitalization of $16.96 billion, a PE ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 1.39.

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

Equitable Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Equitable’s payout ratio is currently 25.13%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.31, for a total transaction of $315,368.46. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 98,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,677,776.25. This represents a 6.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.68, for a total transaction of $79,356.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 17,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $825,162.36. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,698 shares of company stock worth $6,534,234 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equitable

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

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.