Morgan Stanley Lowers Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Price Target to $67.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has reduced the price target for Equitable (NYSE:EQH) from $68.00 to $67.00 while maintaining an "overweight" rating, indicating a potential upside of 26.24% from the last close.
• Other analysts have adjusted their ratings as well, with a consensus target price of $64.90 and an average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Equitable's stock price has seen fluctuations, currently trading at $53.07, with institutional investors holding approximately 92.70% of the shares.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $68.00 to $67.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's target price suggests a potential upside of 26.24% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Equitable from $69.00 to $64.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $63.00 price target on shares of Equitable and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Equitable from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.90.

Equitable Price Performance

Shares of EQH traded down $0.83 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $53.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 65,465 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,791,799. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $53.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.82 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94, a current ratio of 0.14 and a quick ratio of 0.14. Equitable has a fifty-two week low of $37.99 and a fifty-two week high of $56.61.

Insider Activity at Equitable

In related news, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 4,000 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction on 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.18, for a total value of $1,595,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 724,367 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,521,837.06. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 94,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,940,960 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equitable

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mariner LLC lifted its stake in Equitable by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 19,421 shares of the company's stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 854 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Equitable in the 4th quarter worth $208,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new position in Equitable in the 4th quarter worth $521,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Equitable by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 190,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,991,000 after acquiring an additional 10,344 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Equitable by 194.3% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 24,853 shares of the company's stock worth $1,172,000 after purchasing an additional 16,407 shares during the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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