Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Stake Decreased by Poplar Forest Capital LLC

Poplar Forest Capital LLC lessened its stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 26.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 675,631 shares of the company's stock after selling 238,313 shares during the period. Equitable comprises approximately 5.9% of Poplar Forest Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Poplar Forest Capital LLC owned 0.22% of Equitable worth $31,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Equitable by 195.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 532 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted 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 buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in Equitable by 298.3% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,689 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 82.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,805 shares of the company's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Equitable by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,954 shares of the company's stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity at Equitable

In other Equitable news, 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 value of $1,146,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 141,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,492,273.36. This trade represents a 15.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 1,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 17,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $825,162.36. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,698 shares of company stock worth $6,534,234 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Equitable Stock Performance

EQH traded up $1.12 on Wednesday, reaching $52.24. The company had a trading volume of 2,570,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,418,891. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.96 and a 1 year high of $56.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.68 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $51.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.09.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) last posted its 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Equitable's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EQH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Equitable from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.17.

Equitable 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.