Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Boosts Stock Position in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its position in shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 83,622 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,344 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Equitable were worth $3,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EQH. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Equitable by 195.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Equitable by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 799 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Equitable by 298.3% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equitable by 31.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Equitable by 82.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 817 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Equitable

In related news, insider Nick Lane sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.84, for a total value of $1,146,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 141,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,492,273.36. This represents a 15.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO William James Iv Eckert sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.68, for a total value of $79,356.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 17,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $825,162.36. This represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 95,032 shares of company stock valued at $4,799,566. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial upped their target price on Equitable from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. 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 note on Friday, January 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Equitable from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.75.

Equitable Price Performance

Shares of Equitable stock opened at $51.28 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.62. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $35.18 and a 12 month high of $56.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.42 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 0.07 and a quick ratio of 0.12.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 85.70%. As a group, analysts predict that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.13%.

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.