Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Shares Purchased by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 25.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 125,000 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s holdings in Equitable were worth $5,896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 195.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 532 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Equitable by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 799 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the period. Mizuho Bank Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Equitable by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. now owns 1,130 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Equitable by 298.3% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,689 shares of the company's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on EQH shares. UBS Group raised Equitable from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $49.00 to $77.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Equitable from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Truist Financial raised their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Equitable from $68.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equitable currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.57, for a total transaction of $317,101.62. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 101,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,835,300.22. The trade was a 6.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.56, for a total transaction of $1,426,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 743,206 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,346,877.36. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 83,332 shares of company stock valued at $4,141,315. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Equitable Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of EQH traded up $1.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $50.49. The company had a trading volume of 1,851,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,621,700. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $36.46 and a fifty-two week high of $56.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.56. The stock has a market cap of $15.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.22 and a beta of 1.15. 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 (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.05 billion. Equitable had a return on equity of 85.70% and a net margin of 10.51%. The business's revenue was up 105.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Equitable's payout ratio is currently 26.09%.

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.