Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) saw a significant increase in short interest of 44.5% in August, reaching a total of 6,620,000 shares as of August 15th.
• Several analysts have adjusted target prices for EQH, with a consensus target price of $64.90 and a majority rating of Moderate Buy.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27, resulting in a 2.0% dividend yield, with an 87.10% payout ratio.

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,620,000 shares, a growth of 44.5% from the July 31st total of 4,580,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,640,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Currently, 2.2% of the company's stock are sold short. Currently, 2.2% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,640,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In other Equitable news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 2,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.86, for a total transaction of $134,836.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,348,411.86. This represents a 9.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 4,000 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.09, for a total transaction of $212,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 19,827 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,052,615.43. This represents a 16.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 143,090 shares of company stock worth $7,549,152. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equitable

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 35.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 7,236 shares of the company's stock valued at $406,000 after purchasing an additional 1,877 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Equitable by 103.2% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 32,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,835,000 after buying an additional 16,612 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equitable by 191.6% in the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 28,920 shares of the company's stock worth $1,485,000 after buying an additional 19,004 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP boosted its position in shares of Equitable by 1,000.8% in the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 96,455 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,411,000 after acquiring an additional 87,693 shares during the period. Finally, Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Equitable by 128.6% in the 2nd quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 9,990 shares of the company's stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 5,619 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of EQH traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $54.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,230,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,663,625. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.07. Equitable has a 52-week low of $39.51 and a 52-week high of $56.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94, a current ratio of 0.14 and a quick ratio of 0.14. The company has a market cap of $16.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.63 and a beta of 1.16.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Equitable's payout ratio is presently 87.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on EQH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Equitable from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 18th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.90.

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.