Acadian Asset Management LLC Increases Stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Equitable Holdings, Inc. by 4.8% in the first quarter, now owning approximately 5.79 million shares valued at $301.54 million.
• In recent insider transactions, both Director Bertram L. Scott and CEO Mark Pearson sold shares, with total sales worth approximately $2.24 million, representing decreases in their respective holdings.
• Equitable stock has a current market cap of $15.79 billion and a recent dividend yield of 2.0%, showing a dividend payout ratio of 87.10%.

Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 4.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,789,138 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 265,759 shares during the period. Equitable comprises 0.9% of Acadian Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned approximately 1.90% of Equitable worth $301,536,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Equitable by 23.4% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,878,516 shares of the company's stock worth $566,662,000 after purchasing an additional 2,061,496 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Equitable by 1.0% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,584,190 shares of the company's stock worth $134,610,000 after acquiring an additional 25,951 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Equitable by 15.2% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in Equitable by 5,536.0% during the first 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners acquired a new position in Equitable in the 1st quarter valued at about $108,264,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Equitable

In other news, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $1,052,615.43. This represents a 16.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,790 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.09, for a total transaction of $367,271.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 88,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,796,593.02. This represents a 7.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 143,090 shares of company stock valued at $7,549,152. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on EQH. UBS Group decreased their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price 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, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Equitable has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $64.90.

Equitable Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of EQH stock traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $54.10. The company had a trading volume of 2,230,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,663,625. The company's fifty day moving average is $52.79 and its 200 day moving average is $52.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94, a current ratio of 0.14 and a quick ratio of 0.14. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $39.51 and a fifty-two week high of $56.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.20 billion, a PE ratio of 43.63 and a beta of 1.16.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

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