Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases New Holdings in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has acquired a stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc., purchasing 70,462 shares valued at approximately $3.67 million during the 1st quarter.
• Equitable announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $1.08 and a yield of 2.2% for investors.
• Equitable's recent market performance has seen its stock prices fluctuate, with a 52-week low of $36.46 and a high of $56.61, while a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" has been established among analysts.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 70,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,670,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Equitable by 0.3% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,561 shares of the company's stock worth $4,613,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in Equitable by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 4,278 shares of the company's stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Equitable by 6.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,145 shares of the company's stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in Equitable by 5.3% during the first quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 6,367 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital raised its holdings in shares of Equitable by 8.4% during the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equitable news, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 4,000 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.09, for a total transaction of $212,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 19,827 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,052,615.43. The trade was a 16.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Nick Lane sold 5,000 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.91, for a total value of $264,550.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 139,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,358,352.43. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 135,666 shares of company stock valued at $7,145,208. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Equitable Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:EQH traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $50.72. The company had a trading volume of 159,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,734,451. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.87 and a beta of 1.14. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $53.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.17. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.78 and a 12-month high of $56.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Equitable's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on EQH. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $66.00 target price (up previously from $61.00) on shares of Equitable in a report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Equitable from $69.00 to $64.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equitable currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.30.

About Equitable

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.