Short Interest in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) Grows By 20.2%

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 7,680,687 shares, an increase of 20.2% from the December 31st total of 6,387,550 shares. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,379,656 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 2,379,656 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on EQH shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Equitable in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Mizuho set a $65.00 target price on shares of Equitable in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Equitable from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Equitable in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.46.

Equitable Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE EQH traded up $0.17 on Wednesday, reaching $44.85. 4,997,225 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,928,781. Equitable has a 12 month low of $41.39 and a 12 month high of $56.61. The company has a market cap of $12.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.25, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $47.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.87, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($0.02). Equitable had a negative net margin of 5.80% and a positive return on equity of 107.71%. The firm had revenue of $3.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Equitable will post 7.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -39.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Nick Lane sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total transaction of $1,429,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 99,958 shares in the company, valued at $4,762,998.70. This represents a 23.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.20, for a total value of $1,834,140.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 652,945 shares in the company, valued at $30,166,059. The trade was a 5.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 203,770 shares of company stock valued at $9,462,206 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Equitable

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Equitable during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Equitable by 592.6% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 561 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equitable during the third quarter worth $36,000. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Equitable during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Equitable in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. 92.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Equitable

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.