Boston Partners Makes New $108.26 Million Investment in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)

Key Points

• Boston Partners acquired 2,078,861 shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc., valued at approximately $108 million, during Q1, increasing its stake to 0.68% of the company.
• Insider selling was noted with CAO William James Iv Eckert and CEO Mark Pearson selling a combined total of 34,000 shares, reflecting a decrease in their ownership positions.
• Analysts' ratings for Equitable vary, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price average of $65.00 following various adjustments by firms such as Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase.

Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,078,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $108,264,000. Boston Partners owned approximately 0.68% of Equitable as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EQH. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Equitable by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,278,436 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,003,705,000 after buying an additional 535,671 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in Equitable by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 19,032,270 shares of the company's stock worth $897,752,000 after acquiring an additional 79,999 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Equitable by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,840,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $369,832,000 after buying an additional 375,232 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,242,692 shares of the company's stock worth $200,128,000 after purchasing an additional 887,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Equitable by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,601,643 shares of the company's stock worth $122,720,000 after buying an additional 508,030 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 4,000 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.09, for a total value of $212,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at $1,052,615.43. This trade represents a 16.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.18, for a total transaction of $1,595,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 724,367 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,521,837.06. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 94,000 shares of company stock worth $4,940,960. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on EQH shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $68.00 price target (up from $67.00) on shares of Equitable in a research note on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Equitable from $69.00 to $64.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Equitable currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.00.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of EQH traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $53.84. 3,322,010 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,786,567. The company has a market capitalization of $16.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.42 and a beta of 1.14. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $37.99 and a twelve month high of $56.61. The business's 50-day moving average price is $53.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $52.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94, a current ratio of 0.14 and a quick ratio of 0.10.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

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

Equitable 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.