Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Shares Sold by CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co cut its stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 479,149 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,183 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned approximately 0.15% of Equitable worth $22,600,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in Equitable by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 19,032,270 shares of the company's stock valued at $897,752,000 after buying an additional 79,999 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Equitable in the 4th quarter valued at about $668,250,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Equitable by 59.9% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,817,020 shares of the company's stock worth $415,899,000 after purchasing an additional 3,303,449 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Equitable by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,089,046 shares of the company's stock worth $381,560,000 after purchasing an additional 355,078 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in Equitable by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,659,691 shares of the company's stock valued at $130,351,000 after purchasing an additional 957,828 shares during the period. 92.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equitable Trading Up 2.2 %

EQH traded up $1.10 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $49.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,687,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,630,605. The business's 50-day moving average is $50.71 and its 200-day moving average is $49.17. 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 stock has a market cap of $15.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.09 and a beta of 1.23. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $36.46 and a fifty-two week high of $56.00.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. Equitable's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.13%.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In other news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $369,163.08. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 104,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,776,023.24. This represents a 6.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.16, for a total transaction of $1,534,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 753,206 shares of the company's stock, valued at $38,534,018.96. This represents a 3.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 83,332 shares of company stock valued at $4,141,315. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on EQH. Barclays upped their target price on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Equitable from $68.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Equitable from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Equitable from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Equitable from $62.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equitable currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $60.91.

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.