Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Price Target Raised to $55.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $53.00 to $55.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would indicate a potential upside of 26.20% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Equitable from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group upgraded Equitable from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays upped their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Equitable from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $47.00 to $58.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equitable has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.75.

Equitable Stock Down 3.4 %

NYSE:EQH traded down $1.52 on Wednesday, reaching $43.58. 2,379,843 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,584,799. 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 capitalization of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.42 and a beta of 1.23. Equitable has a 12 month low of $35.49 and a 12 month high of $56.00. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $52.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.84.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 85.70%. Equities analysts predict that Equitable will post 7.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Equitable

In other Equitable news, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.65, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 629,939 shares in the company, valued at $32,536,349.35. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $369,163.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 104,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,776,023.24. The trade was a 6.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 103,332 shares of company stock valued at $5,364,610. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equitable

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Equitable by 53.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 22,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $943,000 after buying an additional 7,823 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Equitable by 27.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 710,951 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,881,000 after purchasing an additional 152,847 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 486.6% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 157,085 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,602,000 after purchasing an additional 130,306 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Equitable by 1,309.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 242,163 shares of the company's stock worth $10,178,000 after purchasing an additional 224,987 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its position in shares of Equitable by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 20,040 shares of the company's stock valued at $842,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

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.