Aberdeen Group plc Buys 105,418 Shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. by 149.2% in Q1, now owning approximately $9.17 million in shares.
• Equitable's stock has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with a target price averaging $64.90.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, boasting a yield of 2.1% and a payout ratio of 87.1%.

Aberdeen Group plc lifted its holdings in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 149.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 176,067 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 105,418 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.06% of Equitable worth $9,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQH. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Equitable by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,561 shares of the company's stock worth $4,613,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in shares of Equitable by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 4,278 shares of the company's stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Equitable by 6.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,145 shares of the company's stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Equitable by 5.3% during the first quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 6,367 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in Equitable by 8.4% during the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on EQH. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Equitable from $69.00 to $64.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Equitable from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Equitable from $66.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.90.

Insider Activity

In other Equitable news, 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. The trade was a 5.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.09, for a total value of $212,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,052,615.43. The trade was a 16.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,090 shares of company stock worth $7,549,152 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Equitable Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE EQH traded down $0.7150 on Monday, hitting $52.8750. 2,228,536 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,087,900. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.14. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $37.99 and a 52-week high of $56.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.64 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $53.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.11.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

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

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.