Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate Equitable a “Moderate Buy”: Of 14 analysts, 10 recommend buying, three recommend holding and one gives a strong-buy rating. Their average 12-month price target is $63.18.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: Equitable reported EPS of $2.13 versus consensus of about $1.86 and revenue of $3.88 billion versus $3.75 billion; revenue increased 167.7% year over year.
• Some directors have sold shares: insiders sold 32,816 shares worth about $1.73 million over the past three months. Institutional investors own 92.7% of the stock.

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $63.18.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Equitable from $63.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Equitable from $62.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Equitable in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Equitable from $67.00 to $66.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Equitable from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th.

Equitable Price Performance

Shares of Equitable stock opened at $55.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $52.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.75. Equitable has a 1-year low of $35.19 and a 1-year high of $56.57.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.27. Equitable had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 636.12%. The company had revenue of $3.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. Equitable's quarterly revenue was up 167.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Equitable will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Equitable

Here are the key news stories impacting Equitable this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equitable reported Q3 adjusted earnings of $2.13 per share, above analyst estimates of roughly $1.86–$1.87 and up from $1.48 a year earlier. Revenue of $3.88 billion also topped the $3.75 billion consensus estimate. The earnings and revenue beats support the positive investor reaction. Article: Equitable Holdings Surpasses Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s earnings-call coverage cited growth and progress on the Corebridge merger. The reports provided here do not specify deal terms or a completion timeline, so the merger’s eventual impact remains uncertain. Article: Equitable Earnings Call Highlights Growth and Merger Progress

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 2,780 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.35, for a total transaction of $151,093.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,685 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,287,279.75. This represents a 10.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charles Stonehill sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.54, for a total value of $386,550.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 34,357 shares in the company, valued at $1,770,759.78. This trade represents a 17.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 32,816 shares of company stock worth $1,731,591. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Equitable

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equitable during the 3rd quarter worth about $531,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Equitable by 301.4% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,344 shares of the company's stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,511 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equitable in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $330,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equitable in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $479,000. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Equitable by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 5,618,993 shares of the company's stock worth $288,086,000 after acquiring an additional 57,189 shares during the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Equitable

Equitable Holdings, Inc NYSE: EQH is a financial services company that provides retirement, protection and wealth management solutions to individuals, families and institutions. Its businesses offer life insurance, annuities, investment products, retirement planning and financial advice.

Through Equitable, the company provides life insurance and retirement products, while Equitable Advisors offers financial planning, investment advisory and insurance services through a network of financial professionals.

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