Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Stock

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $60.00 to $61.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential upside of 9.90% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Equitable from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased 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. Barclays increased their target price on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Equitable in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $55.92.

Equitable Price Performance

NYSE EQH traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $55.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,834,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,901,672. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 1.39. Equitable has a 1-year low of $32.96 and a 1-year high of $55.79. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $50.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.03.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a return on equity of 85.70% and a net margin of 10.51%. On average, equities analysts predict that Equitable will post 7.24 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equitable news, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.31, for a total transaction of $1,419,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 639,939 shares in the company, valued at $30,275,514.09. This represents a 4.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 1,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.68, for a total value of $79,356.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 125,032 shares of company stock worth $6,165,071. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised 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 acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 61.5% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 646 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 111.2% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 678 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 799 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. now owns 1,130 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.