Inceptionr LLC Raises Stock Position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Inceptionr LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 289.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,558 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,947 shares during the quarter. Equitable makes up about 0.4% of Inceptionr LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Inceptionr LLC’s holdings in Equitable were worth $1,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in EQH. Groupe la Francaise raised its stake in Equitable by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 2,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Equitable by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 13,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $756,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in Equitable by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. NFC Investments LLC grew its holdings in Equitable by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. NFC Investments LLC now owns 75,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,224,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management raised its position in shares of Equitable by 64.0% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In related news, insider Nick Lane sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total value of $1,429,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 99,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,762,998.70. This trade represents a 23.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,790 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total value of $323,543.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 55,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,621,845.95. This represents a 10.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 157,280 shares of company stock valued at $7,455,677 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EQH. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Equitable from $58.00 to $57.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho set a $65.00 price target on shares of Equitable in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Equitable from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $60.00 price objective on Equitable in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Equitable from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.64.

Equitable Trading Down 1.1%

EQH stock opened at $39.34 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $45.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.77. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $37.51 and a fifty-two week high of $56.61. The firm has a market cap of $11.03 billion, a PE ratio of -8.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.42, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13.

Equitable announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 7.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Equitable’s payout ratio is -22.41%.

Equitable Profile

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.