Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 4,115,881 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 30% from the previous session’s volume of 3,160,620 shares.The stock last traded at $38.2930 and had previously closed at $38.19.

More Equitable News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equitable this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merger announced: Equitable and Corebridge agreed to a $22 billion all‑stock merger to create a combined retirement, life, wealth and asset management company with roughly $1.5 trillion AUM; Equitable shareholders would own ~49% of the combined company. This deal is the primary bullish catalyst for premium valuation expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods initiated coverage with an “outperform” and a $53 price target (about ~40% above current levels), which supports upside narrative tied to the merger. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wide media coverage: Major outlets (Reuters, WSJ) are reporting the deal and valuation, increasing visibility and likely contributing to higher trading volume as investors digest terms. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder investigations: Monteverde & Associates announced an investigation into whether Equitable shareholders are being treated fairly in the transaction, adding legal overhang and potential deal uncertainty. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional law‑firm probes: Ademi LLP and Halper Sadeh LLC have opened separate investigations about whether the merger delivers a fair price and whether fiduciary duties were satisfied, increasing legal/transaction risk. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising short interest: Short interest jumped ~19% in March to ~8.0M shares (≈2.9% of float), which can add selling pressure and increase volatility if shorts build further or cover. No link

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EQH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Equitable from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Mizuho set a $65.00 target price on shares of Equitable in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Equitable from $60.00 to $57.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Equitable from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Equitable currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.55.

Equitable Trading Up 0.4%

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $42.51 and a 200 day moving average of $46.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.42, a current ratio of 0.13 and a quick ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market cap of $10.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.96, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.12.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is -22.41%.

Equitable declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 11th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 7.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Equitable

In related news, insider Nick Lane sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total value of $1,429,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 99,958 shares in the company, valued at $4,762,998.70. The trade was a 23.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.20, for a total value of $1,834,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 652,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,166,059. This represents a 5.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 76,490 shares of company stock valued at $3,587,184. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equitable

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Groupe la Francaise raised its position in Equitable by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 2,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Equitable by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in shares of Equitable by 11.7% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equitable by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

Equitable Company Profile

Equitable Holdings, Inc (NYSE: EQH) is a leading provider of life insurance, annuities and retirement plan services in the United States. Through its insurance subsidiary, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, the firm offers a broad range of permanent and term life insurance products designed to help individuals and families manage risk and build wealth. In addition, Equitable provides fixed, variable and indexed annuity solutions to support income planning in retirement, as well as a suite of group retirement and pension plan services for employers and plan sponsors.

The company also maintains an asset management arm that delivers investment strategies across equities, fixed income and alternative asset classes for both retail and institutional clients.