Sciencast Management LP Takes Position in 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 purchased a new stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 43,405 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,261,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Equitable in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Equitable in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Equitable in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its holdings in Equitable by 154.3% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 841 shares during the period. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in Equitable in the first quarter valued at approximately $80,000. 92.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equitable Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:EQH traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $52.70. The company had a trading volume of 2,829,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,681,153. The company has a current ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $52.86 and a 200 day moving average of $52.06. The company has a market cap of $15.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.50 and a beta of 1.16. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.99 and a 1 year high of $56.61.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Equitable's dividend payout ratio is presently 87.10%.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In other Equitable news, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.05, for a total transaction of $2,106,085.00. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.09, for a total value of $212,360.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 19,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,052,615.43. This trade represents a 16.79% 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 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.