Caxton Associates LLP Makes New $456,000 Investment in Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP has acquired a new position in Equitable Holdings, Inc., purchasing 8,762 shares valued at approximately $456,000.
• Insider transactions showed significant sales, with Director Bertram L. Scott and COO Jeffrey J. Hurd selling 2,600 and 6,790 shares respectively, reflecting decreases in their ownership positions.
• Equitable recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 2.0%.

Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 8,762 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $456,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of EQH. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 23.4% during 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. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,558,239 shares of the company's stock worth $120,672,000 after acquiring an additional 337,883 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Equitable by 5,536.0% during 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. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Equitable during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $108,264,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Equitable by 85.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,909,451 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,981,000 after purchasing an additional 879,813 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

Equitable Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EQH traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $54.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,596,666 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,571,523. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $52.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.90 and a beta of 1.16. 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 1-year low of $40.81 and a 1-year high of $56.61.

Equitable Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 5th. Equitable's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 87.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on EQH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Equitable to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Equitable from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.55.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,790 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.69, for a total transaction of $364,555.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 81,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,396,566.72. This trade represents a 7.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 703,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,295,688.45. The trade was a 5.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 119,880 shares of company stock valued at $6,318,307 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.