Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Takes Position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $379,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EQH. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Equitable by 700.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,563,172 shares of the company's stock worth $74,126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,367,837 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 608.1% in the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,468,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,289,000 after acquiring an additional 1,261,466 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its holdings in shares of Equitable by 1,092.4% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 875,589 shares of the company's stock worth $41,302,000 after acquiring an additional 802,160 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Equitable in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,939,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Equitable by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,554,890 shares of the company's stock worth $120,529,000 after buying an additional 437,322 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Equitable from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Equitable from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equitable presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.75.

Equitable Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE EQH traded up $0.88 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $51.40. 2,720,648 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,417,865. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.82 billion, a PE ratio of 13.46 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.91 and a 12 month high of $56.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $52.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.44.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 85.70% and a net margin of 10.51%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. Equitable's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.13%.

Insider Activity at Equitable

In related news, insider Nick Lane sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 141,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,492,273.36. This represents a 15.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $369,163.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 104,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,776,023.24. This trade represents a 6.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,698 shares of company stock worth $6,534,234 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.