AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE:AB) Short Interest Update

AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE:AB) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 351,727 shares, a growth of 264.7% from the January 15th total of 96,445 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 604,948 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 0.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 604,948 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AllianceBernstein

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AllianceBernstein during the second quarter worth about $3,135,000. Disciplined Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in AllianceBernstein by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Disciplined Equity Management Inc. now owns 60,293 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,462,000 after buying an additional 6,490 shares during the period. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC raised its position in AllianceBernstein by 131.6% during the 3rd quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC now owns 137,341 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $5,249,000 after buying an additional 78,047 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AllianceBernstein during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $722,000. Finally, Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in AllianceBernstein by 42.2% during the 2nd quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 164,892 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $6,733,000 after acquiring an additional 48,906 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 19.25% of the company’s stock.

AllianceBernstein Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:AB traded up $0.44 during trading on Friday, reaching $40.96. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 369,377 shares, compared to its average volume of 623,893. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a PE ratio of 13.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.87. AllianceBernstein has a 12 month low of $32.28 and a 12 month high of $44.11. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.71.

AllianceBernstein (NYSE:AB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.04. AllianceBernstein had a net margin of 6.62% and a return on equity of 19.69%. The firm had revenue of $957.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $956.45 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that AllianceBernstein will post 3.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AllianceBernstein Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This is a positive change from AllianceBernstein’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.86. AllianceBernstein’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 114.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “neutral” rating on shares of AllianceBernstein in a research note on Monday. Barclays upped their price target on AllianceBernstein from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Evercore raised their price objective on AllianceBernstein from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Zacks Research downgraded AllianceBernstein from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of AllianceBernstein in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AllianceBernstein currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.17.

About AllianceBernstein

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.