AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE:AB) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE:AB) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $42.1667.

Several analysts have recently commented on AB shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of AllianceBernstein from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of AllianceBernstein in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings raised AllianceBernstein from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research lowered AllianceBernstein from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of AllianceBernstein in a research report on Monday, February 9th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AllianceBernstein during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in AllianceBernstein during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AllianceBernstein during the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of AllianceBernstein in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AllianceBernstein in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.25% of the company’s stock.

AllianceBernstein Stock Performance

Shares of AB opened at $39.66 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $39.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.67. The stock has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.87. AllianceBernstein has a one year low of $32.28 and a one year high of $44.11.

AllianceBernstein (NYSE:AB) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.04. AllianceBernstein had a return on equity of 21.17% and a net margin of 6.62%.The firm had revenue of $957.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $956.45 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.05 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that AllianceBernstein will post 3.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AllianceBernstein Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.7%. This is an increase from AllianceBernstein’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.86. AllianceBernstein’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 128.00%.

AllianceBernstein Company Profile

AllianceBernstein is a global investment management firm that offers a broad range of research-driven strategies across equities, fixed income, multi-asset solutions and alternative investments. The firm provides active and quantitative portfolio management, drawing on in-house research capabilities to serve the needs of institutional clients, private wealth investors and intermediaries. Its product lineup encompasses mutual funds, separately managed accounts and customized investment vehicles designed to meet diverse risk-return objectives.

The firm’s roots date back to 1967 with the founding of Sanford C.