Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.08), Zacks reports. Equitable had a negative net margin of 2.64% and a positive return on equity of 76.47%.

Equitable Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE EQH traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $53.26. The company had a trading volume of 1,326,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,751,194. Equitable has a twelve month low of $32.72 and a twelve month high of $54.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.69 billion, a PE ratio of -48.94 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $49.32 and its 200-day moving average is $45.26.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -88.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on EQH shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Equitable in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Equitable from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.67.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In other news, insider Nick Lane sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.65, for a total value of $1,291,250.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 121,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,282,137.85. This trade represents a 17.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 648,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,760,963.65. This represents a 4.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 161,698 shares of company stock valued at $7,904,806. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Equitable

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.