Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Stock Price

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) had its price objective lifted by Morgan Stanley from $66.00 to $68.00 in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $47.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Equitable from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Equitable from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.75.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of EQH stock opened at $50.64 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.44. Equitable has a 12-month low of $33.91 and a 12-month high of $56.00. The company has a market cap of $15.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26 and a beta of 1.39.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.08). Equitable had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 85.70%. Analysts expect that Equitable will post 7.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. Equitable’s payout ratio is currently 25.13%.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In related news, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.31, for a total value of $1,419,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 639,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,275,514.09. This trade represents a 4.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $369,163.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 104,298 shares in the company, valued at $5,776,023.24. This represents a 6.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,698 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,234 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Equitable by 195.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Equitable by 61.5% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Equitable by 111.2% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Equitable by 33.2% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. raised its holdings in Equitable by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. now owns 1,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. 92.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.