Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Decreases Stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 58.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,563 shares of the company's stock after selling 37,293 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Equitable were worth $1,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Foster & Motley Inc. raised its stake in Equitable by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 174,143 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,214,000 after buying an additional 3,594 shares during the period. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equitable in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $305,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Equitable during the 4th quarter worth approximately $308,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Equitable by 94.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 90,485 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,268,000 after purchasing an additional 43,837 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 10,931 shares of the company's stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 2,983 shares during the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on EQH shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Equitable from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $58.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Equitable from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Equitable in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $53.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In related news, insider Nick Lane sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.84, for a total value of $1,146,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 141,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,492,273.36. This represents a 15.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 1,700 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $825,162.36. This represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 161,698 shares of company stock worth $7,904,806. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Equitable Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of EQH stock traded down $1.28 on Thursday, reaching $52.23. 4,535,713 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,887,792. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.36 billion, a PE ratio of -47.91 and a beta of 1.39. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.72 and a 52 week high of $54.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $49.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.31.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a negative net margin of 2.64% and a positive return on equity of 76.47%. As a group, analysts forecast that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 6 EPS for the current year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. Equitable's dividend payout ratio is presently -88.07%.

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.