Strs Ohio Buys Shares of 30,445 Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has acquired a new stake in Equitable Holdings, purchasing 30,445 shares valued at approximately $1.586 million during the first quarter.
• Equitable announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27, representing an annual yield of 2.0%, with a significant payout ratio of 87.10%.
• Wall Street analysts have varied target prices for Equitable, with the average target price set at $64.55 and a general consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 30,445 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,586,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Equitable by 0.3% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,561 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,613,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Equitable by 6.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Equitable by 5.3% in the first quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 6,367 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in shares of Equitable by 8.4% during the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,539 shares of the company's stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invst LLC lifted its position in Equitable by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 24,165 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,140,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Equitable Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:EQH traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $54.26. The company had a trading volume of 9,935,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,565,813. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94. The firm has a market cap of $16.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.76 and a beta of 1.16. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $52.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.07. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.81 and a twelve month high of $56.61.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 2,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.86, for a total transaction of $134,836.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 26,001 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,790 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.09, for a total transaction of $367,271.10. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 88,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,796,593.02. The trade was a 7.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 155,580 shares of company stock valued at $8,258,518. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of Equitable to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Equitable from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equitable currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $64.55.

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.