Insider Selling: Equitable (NYSE:EQH) CEO Sells $1,534,435.65 in Stock

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) CEO Mark Pearson sold 38,313 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.05, for a total transaction of $1,534,435.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 801,683 shares in the company, valued at $32,107,404.15. This represents a 4.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Mark Pearson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, January 20th, Mark Pearson sold 39,700 shares of Equitable stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.20, for a total transaction of $1,834,140.00.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of Equitable stock opened at $37.50 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $10.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.78, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $40.42 and its 200 day moving average is $45.02. Equitable Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $35.19 and a 1 year high of $56.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.42, a current ratio of 0.13 and a quick ratio of 0.13.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is currently -22.41%.

Equitable declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 7.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Mizuho set a $65.00 target price on shares of Equitable in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Equitable from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $60.00 target price on shares of Equitable in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Equitable from $66.00 to $58.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.73.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equitable

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Equitable by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 46,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,193,000 after buying an additional 6,123 shares in the last quarter. Smith Asset Management Co. LLC grew its holdings in Equitable by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Smith Asset Management Co. LLC now owns 82,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,907,000 after buying an additional 10,055 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Equitable by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 111,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,296,000 after acquiring an additional 5,166 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Equitable by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 120,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,749,000 after acquiring an additional 16,655 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd boosted its position in shares of Equitable by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 22,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,060,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. 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.