Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 31.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,653 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,450 shares during the period. Equitable makes up 0.7% of Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Equitable were worth $1,495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQH. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Equitable by 267.7% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 27,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after buying an additional 20,095 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equitable in the 1st quarter worth approximately $338,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Equitable by 116.4% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 4,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 2,275 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital raised its position in Equitable by 8.4% in the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Equitable by 23.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

Equitable Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:EQH opened at $51.15 on Friday. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.39 and a 52 week high of $56.61. The company’s 50 day moving average is $52.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94. The company has a market cap of $15.32 billion, a PE ratio of 41.25 and a beta of 1.10.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 87.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Equitable in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Equitable from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Equitable from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equitable presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.55.

Insider Activity at Equitable

In related news, CFO Robin M. Raju sold 36,888 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $1,991,952.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 140,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,573,932. This trade represents a 20.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.86, for a total transaction of $134,836.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,001 shares in the company, valued at $1,348,411.86. This trade represents a 9.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 192,468 shares of company stock valued at $10,250,470. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Equitable Company Profile

Equitable Holdings, Inc, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, operates as a diversified financial services company worldwide. The company operates through six segments: Individual Retirement, Group Retirement, Investment Management and Research, Protection Solutions, Wealth Management, and Legacy.