Key Points
- Equitable CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares on April 20 at an average price of $41.63 under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan, raising about $1.65 million and reducing his stake by 4.79% to 789,183 shares.
- The board has authorized a $1.0 billion share buyback (up to 7.7% of outstanding shares), and the company recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.27 (annualized $1.08, ~2.6% yield).
- Analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" on EQH with an average price target of $56.91, compared with recent trading near $41 and a 1‑year range of $35.19–$56.61.
Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH - Get Free Report) CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.63, for a total transaction of $1,652,711.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 789,183 shares in the company, valued at $32,853,688.29. This trade represents a 4.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Mark Pearson also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Wednesday, April 15th, Mark Pearson sold 1,387 shares of Equitable stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $55,521.61.
- On Wednesday, April 8th, Mark Pearson sold 38,313 shares of Equitable stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.05, for a total transaction of $1,534,435.65.
Equitable Trading Down 1.6%
EQH opened at $40.99 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.42, a current ratio of 0.13 and a quick ratio of 0.13. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $39.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.51. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.19 and a 1-year high of $56.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.11.
Equitable declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 7.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.
Equitable Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. Equitable's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -22.41%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research analysts have weighed in on EQH shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Equitable from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $58.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Raymond James Financial set a $58.00 price target on shares of Equitable and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Equitable from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Equitable from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equitable presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $56.91.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on EQH
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equitable
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 180.7% during the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 32,820 shares of the company's stock worth $1,667,000 after purchasing an additional 21,127 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 26.5% during the third quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 241,175 shares of the company's stock worth $12,616,000 after purchasing an additional 50,455 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in shares of Equitable during the third quarter worth $1,684,000. Korea Investment CORP grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 24.9% during the third quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 299,391 shares of the company's stock worth $15,203,000 after purchasing an additional 59,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algebris UK Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 28.6% during the third quarter. Algebris UK Ltd. now owns 712,460 shares of the company's stock worth $36,151,000 after purchasing an additional 158,488 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.70% of the company's stock.
About Equitable
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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