Assessing the Pressure on Axa Equitable Holdings Shares

Recent developments have placed Axa Equitable Holdings under increased scrutiny from market participants. A combination of significant insider selling activity and a quarterly earnings miss has raised questions about the company’s near-term trajectory and its ability to regain investor confidence.

Quarterly Performance Falls Short of Expectations

The financial services firm reported its third-quarter 2025 results, which did not meet analyst forecasts. Earnings per share came in at $1.48, below the consensus estimate of $1.59. Revenue presented a more substantial concern, totaling $1.45 billion against anticipated figures of $3.65 billion. This represents a year-over-year decline of 52.8%. Despite the earnings shortfall, the company’s board confirmed a quarterly dividend payment of $0.27 per share.

A Closer Look at Insider Trading Activity

Market attention has been particularly drawn to transactions by company executives. On December 10, William James Eckert IV, who serves as Chief Accounting Officer for the subsidiary Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company, sold 4,300 shares at a price of $47.27 each. This transaction had a total value of $203,261. Following this sale, his remaining holding stands at 15,625.46 shares. This event is part of a broader twelve-month trend, which has seen 39 separate insider sales with zero recorded insider purchases, indicating a pronounced pattern of divestment within the management team.

Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Axa Equitable Holdings?

Valuation and Recent Market Performance

From a valuation perspective, the stock recently appeared to hold potential. At the $47.27 price level, it was trading at a price-to-GF-Value ratio of 0.82, based on a GuruFocus Value of $57.60. This suggested the equity was moderately undervalued. In daily trading, the share price saw a gain of 2.23% on December 11, closing at $49.02. However, a longer-term view reveals sustained pressure; the market capitalization has decreased by approximately 10-11% over the preceding 30-day and 12-month periods. As of December 8, the company’s market cap was $13.20 billion.

Analyst Sentiment and Price Targets

Despite the current challenges, the analyst community maintains a generally constructive outlook on the stock. The consensus rating among coverage firms is “Moderate Buy.” The average price target from these analysts is $64.18, with several institutions setting specific targets in the range of $62 to $63. Achieving these targets, however, is widely seen as contingent on the company demonstrating a tangible operational recovery and stabilizing its revenue performance.

The immediate path for the stock appears sensitive. The continuation of insider selling and the need for revenue stabilization are likely to be key factors influencing its performance in the coming quarters.