Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Lowers Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Price Target to $51.00

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) had its price target decreased by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $53.00 to $51.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective points to a potential upside of 36.01% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on EQH. Raymond James Financial set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Equitable in a report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Equitable from $59.00 to $54.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Equitable from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equitable in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Equitable from $57.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equitable has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.73.

Equitable Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:EQH opened at $37.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of -7.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.11. Equitable has a 1 year low of $35.19 and a 1 year high of $56.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.42.

Equitable announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 7.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equitable

In related news, insider Nick Lane sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.04, for a total value of $400,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 124,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,973,688.72. This trade represents a 7.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 14,358 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.04, for a total transaction of $574,894.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 89,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,579,696.12. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 139,161 shares of company stock valued at $6,096,913 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equitable

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Equitable by 9.1% in 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 increased its holdings 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 worth $143,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings 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 worth $134,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equitable by 12.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equitable by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 25,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.70% of the company’s stock.

Equitable News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Equitable this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board-approved $1.0 billion share buyback (up to ~7.7% of shares) provides balance‑sheet support and buyback-driven EPS/capital return optionality. MarketBeat EQH Company Page
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend of $0.27 (annualized $1.08, ~2.8% yield) remains in place, offering income support for shareholders. MarketBeat Dividend Report
• Positive Sentiment: Despite recent trims, the analyst consensus remains largely positive (many Buy/Outperform ratings and a consensus target near the mid‑$50s), implying continued upside from current levels. MarketBeat Analyst Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS cut its price target from $66 to $58 but kept a “buy” rating — the target still implies sizable upside vs. the current price. UBS PT Lowered to $58 (AmericanBankingNews)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its target to $56 and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered theirs to $51, yet both maintain overweight/outperform stances — these trims reduce upside expectations slightly but are not full downgrades. Benzinga: Wells Fargo & KBW Coverage TickerReport: KBW PT Lowered
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO/COO-level insiders (Nick Lane and Jeffrey Hurd) sold shares under pre-arranged 10b5‑1 plans (combined disclosed sales on/around April 8), which can sap near‑term sentiment despite being pre-planned. InsiderTrades: EQH Insider Sales

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.