Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Purchases 193,640 Shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services raised its stake in Equitable by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 193,640 shares to hold 4,822,908 shares (about 1.68% of the company), valued at roughly $229.8 million per its 13F filing.
• The board approved a $1.0 billion share buyback (up to ~7.7% of shares) and the company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.27 (annualized $1.08, ~2.8–2.9% yield), supporting capital return and income for shareholders.
• Insider selling has occurred (CEO and other senior insiders sold shares under pre-arranged 10b5‑1 plans; insiders sold ~139,161 shares last quarter), yet analysts on average rate the stock a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target near $57.73.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,822,908 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 193,640 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 1.68% of Equitable worth $229,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 49.5% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,012,837 shares of the company's stock worth $559,232,000 after purchasing an additional 3,645,301 shares during the period. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 0.3% during the third quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,867,643 shares of the company's stock worth $247,179,000 after purchasing an additional 12,370 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 1.3% during the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 4,297,008 shares of the company's stock worth $218,202,000 after purchasing an additional 55,798 shares during the period. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 2.0% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,637,414 shares of the company's stock worth $184,704,000 after purchasing an additional 72,267 shares during the period. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equitable during the third quarter worth $101,547,000. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Equitable

Here are the key news stories impacting Equitable this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board-approved $1.0 billion share buyback (up to ~7.7% of shares) provides balance‑sheet support and buyback-driven EPS/capital return optionality. MarketBeat EQH Company Page
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend of $0.27 (annualized $1.08, ~2.8% yield) remains in place, offering income support for shareholders. MarketBeat Dividend Report
• Positive Sentiment: Despite recent trims, the analyst consensus remains largely positive (many Buy/Outperform ratings and a consensus target near the mid‑$50s), implying continued upside from current levels. MarketBeat Analyst Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS cut its price target from $66 to $58 but kept a “buy” rating — the target still implies sizable upside vs. the current price. UBS PT Lowered to $58 (AmericanBankingNews)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its target to $56 and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered theirs to $51, yet both maintain overweight/outperform stances — these trims reduce upside expectations slightly but are not full downgrades. Benzinga: Wells Fargo & KBW Coverage TickerReport: KBW PT Lowered
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO/COO-level insiders (Nick Lane and Jeffrey Hurd) sold shares under pre-arranged 10b5‑1 plans (combined disclosed sales on/around April 8), which can sap near‑term sentiment despite being pre-planned. InsiderTrades: EQH Insider Sales

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Nick Lane sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.04, for a total transaction of $400,400.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 124,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,973,688.72. This trade represents a 7.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 38,313 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.05, for a total value of $1,534,435.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 801,683 shares in the company, valued at $32,107,404.15. The trade was a 4.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 139,161 shares of company stock valued at $6,096,913. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EQH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Equitable from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Equitable from $59.00 to $54.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Equitable from $66.00 to $58.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research cut Equitable from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Equitable from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equitable has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.73.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of Equitable stock opened at $37.50 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of -7.78, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.11. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $35.19 and a 12 month high of $56.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.42. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $40.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.02.

Equitable announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 7.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. Equitable's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -22.41%.

Equitable Profile

Equitable Holdings, Inc NYSE: EQH is a leading provider of life insurance, annuities and retirement plan services in the United States. Through its insurance subsidiary, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, the firm offers a broad range of permanent and term life insurance products designed to help individuals and families manage risk and build wealth. In addition, Equitable provides fixed, variable and indexed annuity solutions to support income planning in retirement, as well as a suite of group retirement and pension plan services for employers and plan sponsors.

The company also maintains an asset management arm that delivers investment strategies across equities, fixed income and alternative asset classes for both retail and institutional clients.

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