HighTower Advisors LLC Has $1.47 Million Stock Position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 27.0% during Q1, owning 28,193 shares valued at approximately $1.47 million.
• Equitable's recent quarterly dividend was $0.27, yielding 2.0%, with the company maintaining a high dividend payout ratio of 87.10%.
• Analysts have adjusted target prices for Equitable, with most ratings being positive; the consensus target price is currently $64.90.

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 27.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,193 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,987 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Equitable were worth $1,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Equitable by 0.3% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,561 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,613,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its stake 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 during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 6.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,145 shares of the company's stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 5.3% in the first quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 6,367 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 8.4% in the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,539 shares of the company's stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 26,001 shares in the company, valued at $1,348,411.86. This trade represents a 9.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,790 shares of Equitable 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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 88,678 shares in the company, valued at $4,796,593.02. The trade was a 7.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,090 shares of company stock worth $7,549,152 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on EQH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Equitable from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $64.90.

Equitable Price Performance

Shares of EQH traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $53.27. The stock had a trading volume of 2,445,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,168,874. The company's fifty day moving average is $53.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.12. 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 52 week low of $37.99 and a 52 week high of $56.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.96 and a beta of 1.14.

Equitable Announces Dividend

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 $0.27 dividend. 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 (DPR) 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.