Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Buys 63,360 Shares of Equitable Holdings, Inc. $EQH

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its stake in Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) by 49.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 190,720 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 63,360 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd owned 0.06% of Equitable worth $10,673,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equitable in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in Equitable by 592.6% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the period. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Equitable during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Equitable by 92.6% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management grew its holdings in Equitable by 64.0% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

Equitable Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQH opened at $45.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.87. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.39 and a twelve month high of $56.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $48.79 and its 200-day moving average is $51.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.35 and a beta of 1.17.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.11). Equitable had a negative net margin of 5.80% and a positive return on equity of 107.71%. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.58 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 52.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Equitable Holdings, Inc. will post 7.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 24th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Equitable’s payout ratio is presently -39.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on EQH shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Equitable from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Equitable from $65.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Equitable from $67.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $63.00 target price on shares of Equitable in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Equitable presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equitable news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,790 shares of Equitable stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.28, for a total transaction of $293,871.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 68,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,956,370.24. The trade was a 9.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.14, for a total value of $1,712,658.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 676,540 shares in the company, valued at $29,185,935.60. This represents a 5.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 176,358 shares of company stock worth $8,760,599 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.