Equitable (NYSE:EQH) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.08 EPS

Equitable (NYSE:EQH) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.08), Zacks reports. Equitable had a negative net margin of 2.64% and a positive return on equity of 76.47%.

Equitable Stock Performance

Shares of EQH stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $53.45. The company had a trading volume of 4,248,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,816,143. The company has a market capitalization of $16.75 billion, a PE ratio of -49.03 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.20. Equitable has a one year low of $32.54 and a one year high of $54.82.

Equitable Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. Equitable’s dividend payout ratio is -88.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Jeffrey J. Hurd sold 6,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.31, for a total transaction of $315,368.46. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 98,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,677,776.25. The trade was a 6.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark Pearson sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.43, for a total transaction of $1,422,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 648,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,760,963.65. The trade was a 4.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 161,698 shares of company stock valued at $7,904,806. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Equitable from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Equitable from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $58.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Equitable in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Equitable from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $54.00 to $58.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Equitable from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equitable has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.67.

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.