Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Price Target Raised to $55.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) had its price target increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $53.00 to $55.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $47.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Equitable from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Equitable from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.75.

Equitable Stock Down 10.4 %

NYSE:EQH opened at $45.00 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. Equitable has a twelve month low of $35.49 and a twelve month high of $56.00. The company has a market cap of $13.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50 day moving average is $52.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.73.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (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%. Analysts anticipate that Equitable will post 7.33 EPS for the current year.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Equitable’s payout ratio is 25.13%.

Insider Transactions at Equitable

In other news, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.65, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 629,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,536,349.35. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Nick Lane sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.12, for a total transaction of $255,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 139,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,109,411.76. This represents a 3.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 103,332 shares of company stock valued at $5,364,610. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equitable

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQH. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Equitable by 195.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Equitable by 111.2% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in Equitable by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 799 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. grew its position in shares of Equitable by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. now owns 1,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equitable by 154.3% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

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.