Short Interest in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Drops By 16.8%

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,800,000 shares, a decrease of 16.8% from the March 15th total of 5,770,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,150,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 1.6% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Equitable from $68.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Equitable from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Equitable from $62.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays upped their target price on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Equitable from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.91.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQH traded up $0.64 during trading on Thursday, reaching $49.53. 253,066 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,625,190. Equitable has a 12 month low of $36.46 and a 12 month high of $56.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $50.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The firm has a market cap of $15.20 billion, a PE ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 1.23.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 85.70%. Research analysts expect that Equitable will post 7.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Equitable's payout ratio is 25.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In related news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $369,163.08. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 104,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,776,023.24. This trade represents a 6.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.56, for a total value of $1,426,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 743,206 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,346,877.36. The trade was a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 83,332 shares of company stock valued at $4,141,315. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equitable

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Equitable during the 4th quarter valued at $668,250,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Equitable by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,817,020 shares of the company's stock worth $415,899,000 after acquiring an additional 3,303,449 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Equitable by 700.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,563,172 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,367,837 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Equitable by 608.1% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,468,912 shares of the company's stock worth $69,289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261,466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Equitable by 237.0% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 1,758,637 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,955,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236,799 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.70% of the company's stock.

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.