Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Short Interest Up 44.5% in August

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 large growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,620,000 shares, agrowthof44.5% from the July 31st total of 4,580,000 shares. Currently,2.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,640,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 2,640,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days. Currently,2.2% of the company's shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EQH has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.90.

Equitable Stock Down 1.2%

EQH traded down $0.67 during trading on Friday, hitting $53.40. 3,704,028 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,882,265. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94. The business's 50 day moving average is $53.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.04. Equitable has a fifty-two week low of $37.99 and a fifty-two week high of $56.61. The stock has a market cap of $16.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.07 and a beta of 1.16.

Equitable Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 2,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.86, for a total value of $134,836.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,348,411.86. The trade was a 9.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.05, for a total transaction of $2,106,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 703,029 shares in the company, valued at $37,295,688.45. This trade represents a 5.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 143,090 shares of company stock worth $7,549,152 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Equitable

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EQH. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Equitable in the 2nd quarter worth $703,060,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of Equitable in the 1st quarter worth $108,264,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 5,536.0% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,109,113 shares of the company's stock worth $110,286,000 after acquiring an additional 2,071,691 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 23.4% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,878,516 shares of the company's stock worth $566,662,000 after acquiring an additional 2,061,496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equitable in the 1st quarter worth $99,319,000. Institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

About Equitable

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.

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