Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Grows Position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its holdings in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 186,900 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 33,500 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Equitable were worth $9,489,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Equitable during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Equitable in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Equitable during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Equitable by 92.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 882 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management grew its position in shares of Equitable by 64.0% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equitable Trading Up 2.0%

EQH opened at $38.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.81 billion, a PE ratio of -8.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.12. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $36.79 and a one year high of $56.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.42, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $43.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.02.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is -22.41%.

Equitable declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on EQH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research cut Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group cut their target price on Equitable from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Equitable from $59.00 to $54.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Equitable from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equitable has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.64.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In other Equitable news, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.20, for a total value of $1,834,140.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 652,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,166,059. This represents a 5.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Nick Lane sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total transaction of $1,429,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 146,190 shares of company stock worth $6,924,120. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.