Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Shares Sold by Kempner Capital Management Inc.

Kempner Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 15.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 135,385 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,987 shares during the quarter. Equitable makes up 3.5% of Kempner Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Kempner Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Equitable were worth $6,386,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Equitable by 2.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,976,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,418,000 after acquiring an additional 338,205 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Equitable by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,513,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,735,000 after acquiring an additional 161,376 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Equitable by 2.5% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,220,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,322,000 after purchasing an additional 54,380 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Equitable by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,165,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,000,000 after buying an additional 68,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Equitable by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,117,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,001,000 after acquiring an additional 148,180 shares during the period. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total value of $1,422,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 648,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,760,963.65. The trade was a 4.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nick Lane sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.84, for a total transaction of $1,146,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 141,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,492,273.36. The trade was a 15.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 161,698 shares of company stock valued at $7,904,806 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of EQH opened at $54.26 on Friday. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $31.76 and a one year high of $54.82. The business has a fifty day moving average of $48.88 and a 200 day moving average of $44.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.53. Equitable had a negative net margin of 2.64% and a positive return on equity of 76.47%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is presently -88.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on EQH shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $58.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Equitable from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $58.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Equitable from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Equitable in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.67.

Equitable 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.