Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH Shares Acquired by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Equitable Holdings by 12.1%, owning 575,298 shares valued at approximately $29.97 million by the end of the first quarter.
• Equitable Holdings declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27, yielding 2.0%, with a recent payout ratio of 87.10%.
• Wall Street analysts have adjusted their price targets for Equitable, with current averages suggesting a price target of $65.00 and a general rating of "Moderate Buy".

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 12.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 575,298 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 61,907 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Equitable worth $29,967,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of EQH. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Equitable by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,278,436 shares of the company's stock worth $1,003,705,000 after purchasing an additional 535,671 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Equitable by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,840,415 shares of the company's stock worth $369,832,000 after acquiring an additional 375,232 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Equitable by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,242,692 shares of the company's stock worth $200,128,000 after acquiring an additional 887,123 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Equitable by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,601,643 shares of the company's stock worth $122,720,000 after acquiring an additional 508,030 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Equitable from $66.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Equitable from $69.00 to $64.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equitable has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $64.90.

Equitable Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE EQH traded up $0.2780 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $52.3580. 707,842 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,794,452. 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 twelve month low of $37.99 and a twelve month high of $56.61. The company has a market cap of $15.68 billion, a PE ratio of 42.13 and a beta of 1.14. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $53.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.14.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Equitable's payout ratio is 87.10%.

Insider Activity at Equitable

In other Equitable news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,790 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 7.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.05, for a total value of $2,106,085.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 703,029 shares in the company, valued at $37,295,688.45. This represents 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 140,490 shares of company stock worth $7,414,316 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.