Machina Capital S.A.S. Acquires 20,648 Shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Machina Capital S.A.S. increased its holdings in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 145.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,882 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,648 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Equitable were worth $1,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQH. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Equitable during the second quarter worth approximately $41,369,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 20.0% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 627,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,274,000 after acquiring an additional 104,439 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equitable in the second quarter worth $874,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Equitable during the second quarter worth $3,499,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Equitable during the second quarter worth $1,840,000. Institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In other Equitable news, insider Nick Lane sold 14,923 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.24, for a total transaction of $794,500.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 110,007 shares in the company, valued at $5,856,772.68. This trade represents a 11.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Arlene Isaacs-Lowe sold 1,000 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.83, for a total value of $52,830.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 19,763 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,079.29. The trade was a 4.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 20,703 shares of company stock worth $1,106,964. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Equitable Stock Down 0.3%

EQH opened at $55.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.75, a current ratio of 0.15 and a quick ratio of 0.15. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $53.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.29. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.19 and a fifty-two week high of $56.83.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $3.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. Equitable had a net margin of 11.53% and a negative return on equity of 3,089.96%. The business’s revenue was up 167.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.20 EPS for the current year.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 30th. Investors of record on Monday, November 23rd will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 23rd. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Equitable’s payout ratio is presently 23.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Equitable in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Equitable from $52.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Equitable from $62.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $66.00 target price on shares of Equitable in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on Equitable from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.50.

Equitable Profile

Equitable Holdings, Inc. is a financial services company focused on retirement, protection and wealth management. Through its Equitable business, it offers products and services including life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and retirement planning solutions to individuals, employers and institutions. The company also has a majority ownership interest in AllianceBernstein, an investment management and research firm that serves institutional and individual clients. AllianceBernstein operates internationally, while Equitable’s insurance and retirement businesses primarily serve customers in the United States.