Equitable Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:EQH)

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 3,002 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,862% compared to the average volume of 153 put options.

Equitable Price Performance

Equitable stock opened at $52.23 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.67 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $53.01 and a 200-day moving average of $48.65. Equitable has a 1 year low of $35.49 and a 1 year high of $56.00.

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Equitable will post 7.33 EPS for the current year.

Equitable Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EQH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Equitable from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Equitable from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Equitable from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Equitable from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equitable presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In related news, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.16, for a total transaction of $1,534,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 753,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,534,018.96. This trade represents a 3.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value 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 approximately $5,776,023.24. This represents a 6.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 103,332 shares of company stock worth $5,364,610 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Equitable by 53.5% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 22,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $943,000 after purchasing an additional 7,823 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in Equitable by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 710,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,881,000 after purchasing an additional 152,847 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new stake in Equitable during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $564,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Equitable by 2.5% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,220,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,322,000 after buying an additional 54,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Equitable in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,041,000. 92.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.