Sciencast Management LP Purchases Shares of 43,405 Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Key Points

• Sciencast Management LP has invested approximately $2.26 million in Equitable Holdings, Inc., acquiring 43,405 shares during the first quarter of the year.
• Institutional investors now hold 92.70% of Equitable's stock, with several firms, including Boston Partners and Allspring Global Investments, significantly increasing their positions.
• Equitable recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.0%.

Sciencast Management LP bought a new stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 43,405 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,261,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Equitable by 310.2% in the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,349 shares of the company's stock valued at $904,000 after purchasing an additional 13,120 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equitable during the first quarter worth about $252,000. Diversified Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 51.5% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 42,276 shares of the company's stock worth $2,202,000 after acquiring an additional 14,380 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equitable during the first quarter worth about $255,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 15.1% during the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 154,482 shares of the company's stock worth $8,047,000 after acquiring an additional 20,317 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equitable news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 2,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.86, for a total value of $134,836.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,348,411.86. The trade was a 9.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 703,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,295,688.45. The trade was a 5.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 143,090 shares of company stock valued at $7,549,152. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EQH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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 boosted their price target on Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Equitable from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Equitable from $66.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.90.

Equitable Stock Performance

NYSE EQH traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $54.10. The stock had a trading volume of 2,230,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,663,625. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $52.79 and a 200 day moving average of $52.05. The stock has a market cap of $16.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.63 and a beta of 1.16. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.51 and a 52-week high of $56.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.14.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

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