AllianceBernstein (NYSE:AB) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE:ABGet Free Report)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $37.02, but opened at $35.71. AllianceBernstein shares last traded at $36.0250, with a volume of 85,344 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AB has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of AllianceBernstein from $40.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AllianceBernstein from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Evercore set a $39.00 price objective on shares of AllianceBernstein in a report on Friday, July 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AllianceBernstein in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of AllianceBernstein from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AllianceBernstein currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.50.

Read Our Latest Research Report on AllianceBernstein

AllianceBernstein Stock Down 2.0%

The company has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.73, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.80. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.17.

AllianceBernstein (NYSE:ABGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The asset manager reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.01). AllianceBernstein had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 25.94%. The company had revenue of $887.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $907.67 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.76 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. will post 3.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AllianceBernstein Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.0%. AllianceBernstein’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Charles G.T. Stonehill sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.17, for a total transaction of $185,850.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,573 shares in the company, valued at $913,378.41. This trade represents a 16.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AllianceBernstein

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in AllianceBernstein by 1,243.9% in the fourth quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 218,727 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,417,000 after purchasing an additional 202,451 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of AllianceBernstein by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 165,739 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $6,378,000 after purchasing an additional 15,974 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AllianceBernstein by 114.6% during the first quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 74,211 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,778,000 after purchasing an additional 39,636 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in AllianceBernstein in the 4th quarter valued at $1,190,000. Finally, MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in AllianceBernstein in the 4th quarter valued at $1,491,000. 19.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AllianceBernstein

(Get Free Report)

AllianceBernstein is a global investment management firm that offers a broad range of research-driven strategies across equities, fixed income, multi-asset solutions and alternative investments. The firm provides active and quantitative portfolio management, drawing on in-house research capabilities to serve the needs of institutional clients, private wealth investors and intermediaries. Its product lineup encompasses mutual funds, separately managed accounts and customized investment vehicles designed to meet diverse risk-return objectives.

The firm’s roots date back to 1967 with the founding of Sanford C.

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