AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE:AB) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give AllianceBernstein a consensus "Hold" rating (6 holds, 2 buys) with an average 12‑month price target of $41.58.
• The firm raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annualized $3.84), implying a ~9.9% yield, though the dividend payout ratio is elevated at 128%.
• Large institutions (notably Northwestern Mutual, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs) meaningfully increased positions; the stock trades near $38.75 (52‑week range $35.59–$44.11) after reporting quarterly EPS of $0.96, slightly above estimates.

Shares of AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE:AB - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.5833.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised AllianceBernstein from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of AllianceBernstein in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on AllianceBernstein from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $39.50 price objective on AllianceBernstein and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AllianceBernstein

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of AllianceBernstein by 17,664.8% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,640,896 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $140,102,000 after purchasing an additional 3,620,401 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of AllianceBernstein by 79.2% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,412,548 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $54,355,000 after purchasing an additional 624,270 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in AllianceBernstein by 51.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 916,574 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $35,114,000 after acquiring an additional 312,878 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in AllianceBernstein by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 499,202 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $19,209,000 after acquiring an additional 5,364 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in AllianceBernstein by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 348,853 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $13,422,000 after acquiring an additional 12,351 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.25% of the company's stock.

AllianceBernstein Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE AB opened at $38.75 on Friday. AllianceBernstein has a fifty-two week low of $35.59 and a fifty-two week high of $44.11. The stock has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a fifty day moving average of $38.65 and a 200-day moving average of $39.39.

AllianceBernstein (NYSE:AB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.04. AllianceBernstein had a return on equity of 21.17% and a net margin of 6.62%.The company had revenue of $957.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $956.45 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.05 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that AllianceBernstein will post 3.58 EPS for the current year.

AllianceBernstein Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a $0.96 dividend. This is an increase from AllianceBernstein's previous quarterly dividend of $0.86. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. AllianceBernstein's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 128.00%.

About AllianceBernstein

AllianceBernstein is a global investment management firm that offers a broad range of research-driven strategies across equities, fixed income, multi-asset solutions and alternative investments. The firm provides active and quantitative portfolio management, drawing on in-house research capabilities to serve the needs of institutional clients, private wealth investors and intermediaries. Its product lineup encompasses mutual funds, separately managed accounts and customized investment vehicles designed to meet diverse risk-return objectives.

The firm's roots date back to 1967 with the founding of Sanford C.

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