55,394 Shares in Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH Purchased by Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd

Key Points

• Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake of 55,394 shares (~$2.81M) in Equitable Holdings (EQH) in Q3, representing about 0.5% of the fund and its 19th-largest position.
• Equitable's board authorized a $1.00 billion buyback (up to 7.7% of outstanding shares) and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share (2.7% yield), signaling management confidence in the stock.
• Company insiders sold a total of 157,280 shares (~$7.46M) over the last 90 days, while institutional ownership sits at 92.7% and analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $60.64.

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 55,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,813,000. Equitable comprises approximately 0.5% of Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of EQH. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 592.6% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 561 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Equitable in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in Equitable in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 92.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 882 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the period. Finally, MAI Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 64.0% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 938 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. 92.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equitable Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of EQH opened at $39.34 on Friday. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $37.51 and a twelve month high of $56.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.42. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $45.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.80.

Equitable declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 7.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Equitable's payout ratio is presently -22.41%.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In related news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total transaction of $323,543.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 55,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,621,845.95. This represents a 10.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.20, for a total transaction of $1,834,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 652,945 shares in the company, valued at $30,166,059. The trade was a 5.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 157,280 shares of company stock worth $7,455,677 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $57.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Equitable from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Equitable from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings cut Equitable from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Equitable from $58.00 to $57.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Equitable has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.64.

About Equitable

Equitable Holdings, Inc NYSE: EQH is a leading provider of life insurance, annuities and retirement plan services in the United States. Through its insurance subsidiary, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, the firm offers a broad range of permanent and term life insurance products designed to help individuals and families manage risk and build wealth. In addition, Equitable provides fixed, variable and indexed annuity solutions to support income planning in retirement, as well as a suite of group retirement and pension plan services for employers and plan sponsors.

The company also maintains an asset management arm that delivers investment strategies across equities, fixed income and alternative asset classes for both retail and institutional clients.

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