New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 38,307 Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 38,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,807,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EQH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Equitable by 20.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 908,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,191,000 after acquiring an additional 153,457 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equitable during the fourth quarter worth approximately $295,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Equitable by 7.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,117,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,001,000 after purchasing an additional 148,180 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC grew its position in Equitable by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 752,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,476,000 after buying an additional 78,725 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Equitable in the 4th quarter valued at $29,939,000. 92.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equitable Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EQH opened at $51.63 on Monday. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $53.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.47. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $35.49 and a 52 week high of $56.00. The stock has a market cap of $15.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.52 and a beta of 1.39.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 85.70%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued 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 1.86%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.13%.

Insider Activity

In other Equitable news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.65, for a total value of $364,296.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 92,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,039,221.85. The trade was a 6.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Nick Lane sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.12, for a total value of $255,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 139,073 shares in the company, valued at $7,109,411.76. This trade represents a 3.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 103,332 shares of company stock worth $5,364,610 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $47.00 to $58.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Equitable from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Equitable from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equitable currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.75.

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.