BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Grows Position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Key Points

• BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S has significantly increased its stake in Equitable Holdings by purchasing 186,943 shares, raising their ownership by 1,691.6% in the first quarter.
• Equitable recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27, with an annualized yield of 2.1% and a payout ratio of 87.10%.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed opinions on Equitable's stock, with target prices ranging from $63.00 to $75.00 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 1,691.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 197,994 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 186,943 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S owned approximately 0.07% of Equitable worth $10,314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EQH. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Equitable in the first quarter worth about $26,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in Equitable by 154.3% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Equitable in the first quarter worth about $80,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Equitable in the first quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new position in Equitable in the first quarter worth about $104,000. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equitable Stock Performance

NYSE:EQH traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $53.05. The company had a trading volume of 647,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,793,609. 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 firm has a market cap of $15.89 billion, a PE ratio of 42.80 and a beta of 1.14. The business's 50 day moving average price is $53.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.11. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $37.99 and a 1-year high of $56.61.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Equitable from $69.00 to $64.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group dropped their price target on Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Equitable from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $64.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,790 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.09, for a total value of $367,271.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 88,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,796,593.02. This represents a 7.11% 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, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,348,411.86. This represents a 9.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 143,090 shares of company stock valued at $7,549,152. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.