Jessup Wealth Management Inc increased its stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH – Free Report) by 13.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 143,071 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,023 shares during the quarter. Equitable accounts for 2.3% of Jessup Wealth Management Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Jessup Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Equitable were worth $6,817,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in Equitable by 61.6% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,000 after acquiring an additional 3,399 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Equitable by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 788,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,573,000 after acquiring an additional 75,871 shares in the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its holdings in Equitable by 55.3% during the 4th quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 16,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $768,000 after acquiring an additional 5,740 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Equitable by 112.1% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 68,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,281,000 after acquiring an additional 36,390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp increased its holdings in Equitable by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 683,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,578,000 after acquiring an additional 164,028 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity at Equitable
In other Equitable news, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 6,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.83, for a total transaction of $259,346.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $391,779.78. This trade represents a 39.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.63, for a total transaction of $1,652,711.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 789,183 shares in the company, valued at $32,853,688.29. This represents a 4.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 162,861 shares of company stock worth $6,672,783 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.
Equitable Price Performance
Equitable (NYSE:EQH – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.02. Equitable had a negative net margin of 7.26% and a positive return on equity of 232.29%. The company had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.
Equitable declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 7.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.
Equitable Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from Equitable’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is -42.25%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Equitable in a report on Friday, May 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Equitable from $51.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Equitable from $59.00 to $54.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $58.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Equitable from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.18.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on EQH
About Equitable
Equitable Holdings, Inc (NYSE: EQH) is a leading provider of life insurance, annuities and retirement plan services in the United States. Through its insurance subsidiary, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, the firm offers a broad range of permanent and term life insurance products designed to help individuals and families manage risk and build wealth. In addition, Equitable provides fixed, variable and indexed annuity solutions to support income planning in retirement, as well as a suite of group retirement and pension plan services for employers and plan sponsors.
The company also maintains an asset management arm that delivers investment strategies across equities, fixed income and alternative asset classes for both retail and institutional clients.
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