Company Description
Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH) is a financial services holding company in the finance and insurance sector. According to company disclosures, it is comprised of three complementary and well-established businesses: Equitable, AllianceBernstein and Equitable Advisors. The company’s stock, as well as depositary shares representing interests in its Series A and Series C preferred stock, trade on the New York Stock Exchange.
Equitable Holdings describes itself as having more than 5 million client relationships globally and more than $1 trillion in assets under management and administration as of mid-2025. The group operates across retirement, protection, asset management and wealth management activities, serving individuals, families, small businesses and institutional clients.
Core businesses and segments
Equitable is presented as a principal franchise of Equitable Holdings. Company materials state that Equitable has been one of America’s financial services providers since 1859, with a mission to help clients secure their financial well-being. Equitable focuses on advice, protection and retirement strategies for individuals, families and small businesses. References to the 1859 founding apply specifically to Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company, a New York-domiciled life insurer within the group.
Equitable’s activities include retirement and protection strategies, which align with the group’s historical presence in annuities, tax-deferred investment and retirement plans, employee benefits and protection solutions, as described in third-party business descriptions. These activities position Equitable within the insurance agencies and brokerages industry, with a focus on retirement and protection needs.
AllianceBernstein (AB), a subsidiary of Equitable Holdings, is described as a global investment management firm that offers diversified investment services to institutional investors, individuals and private wealth clients in major markets. Company communications highlight that AllianceBernstein manages hundreds of billions of dollars in assets and provides services across institutional, retail and private wealth channels.
Equitable Advisors is the group’s broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser. It is described as having thousands of duly registered and licensed financial professionals who provide financial planning, wealth management, retirement planning, protection and risk management services. Equitable Advisors supports advisors with an open-architecture platform and resources to deliver holistic financial planning that considers clients’ life goals, business goals, family situations and lifestyle.
Business model and revenue drivers
Equitable Holdings’ business model reflects multiple segments and revenue sources. A prior segment description notes business areas including Individual Retirement, Group Retirement, Asset Management, Protection Solutions, Wealth Management and Legacy. More recent company reporting indicates that the Individual Retirement and Group Retirement segments have been combined into a single Retirement segment, and that legacy and life insurance business are reported in the Corporate and Other segment.
In its Retirement segment, the company reports first-year premiums and net inflows, indicating activity in retirement products and related account balances. In Asset Management, AllianceBernstein reports assets under management, net flows across retail, institutional and private wealth channels, and operating earnings, reflecting fee-based revenue from investment services. The Wealth Management segment reports advisory net inflows, assets under administration and operating earnings, highlighting fee-based advisory and distribution activities.
Equitable Holdings also discloses the use of reinsurance for its life insurance block. In 2025, subsidiaries of the company entered into coinsurance and modified coinsurance agreements with RGA Reinsurance Company, ceding a quota share of in-force individual life insurance contracts. Assets supporting the related liabilities were placed into trust accounts, and AllianceBernstein entered into an investment advisory agreement to manage a portion of those assets. This structure illustrates how the group combines insurance, asset management and capital management capabilities.
Client focus and advisory orientation
Across its businesses, Equitable Holdings emphasizes advice-driven relationships. Equitable and Equitable Advisors describe a focus on helping clients secure financial well-being through advice, protection and retirement strategies. Company-sponsored studies on Generation X investors and small business owners highlight the role of financial professionals in wealth planning, retirement readiness and business decision-making.
For individuals and families, Equitable’s materials point to retirement strategies, protection solutions and wealth planning as key themes. For small businesses, the group’s research underscores demand for guidance on growth, risk management, employee benefits and retirement planning. Equitable Advisors’ financial professionals are positioned as providing financial planning and wealth management services that consider clients’ broader financial and personal objectives.
Capital management and corporate activity
Equitable Holdings regularly reports on capital deployment, including share repurchases, dividends, debt management and investments in growth. The company has disclosed a revolving credit agreement with a syndicate of banks, as well as amendments to reimbursement agreements related to letter of credit facilities. It also reports on tender offers for existing debt securities and the termination or replacement of prior credit facilities.
The group has undertaken significant reinsurance transactions, such as the coinsurance and modified coinsurance agreements covering a large portion of its individual life insurance block. Company communications describe this as a major transaction in the industry, with associated capital benefits and investment management opportunities for AllianceBernstein.
Equitable Holdings has also announced acquisition activity aligned with its growth strategy, including an agreement for an affiliate to acquire Stifel Independent Advisors, LLC, a premier independent broker-dealer and registered investment adviser. The transaction is described as accelerating growth in the Wealth Management business and expanding Equitable Advisors’ advisor base and assets under administration, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
Industry classification and scale
In third-party classification, Equitable Holdings is associated with the insurance agencies and brokerages industry within the broader finance and insurance sector. Internally, the company presents itself as a diversified financial services holding company with activities spanning retirement, protection, asset management and wealth management. Company disclosures reference more than $1 trillion in assets under management and administration and millions of client relationships, indicating a large-scale presence in its markets.
The group’s structure—combining a life and retirement franchise (Equitable), a global asset manager (AllianceBernstein) and a national network of financial professionals (Equitable Advisors)—illustrates an integrated approach to serving clients’ accumulation, protection and advisory needs.
Risk, regulation and reporting
As a New York Stock Exchange–listed issuer, Equitable Holdings files reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. Recent 8-K filings cover quarterly financial results, segment reporting changes following the life reinsurance transaction, new and amended credit facilities, and other material agreements.
The company emphasizes the use of both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures, such as Non-GAAP operating earnings, to describe performance. It provides reconciliations and explanations of these measures in its financial supplements and earnings materials. Regulatory filings also describe risk management features in reinsurance agreements, including trust accounts, investment guidelines and capital adequacy triggers.
Position within retirement and wealth markets
Equitable Holdings’ communications highlight its focus on retirement, asset management and wealth management as core areas. The company reports net inflows in Retirement and Wealth Management, as well as assets under administration and management, indicating ongoing activity in these markets. AllianceBernstein’s institutional, retail and private wealth channels provide investment solutions that complement Equitable’s retirement and protection offerings and Equitable Advisors’ financial planning services.
Through research initiatives, such as studies on Generation X investors and small business owners, Equitable and its affiliates seek to understand client attitudes toward investing, retirement planning and advisory relationships. These studies underscore themes such as the importance of formal financial plans, the role of guaranteed income in retirement and the impact of professional advice on business growth and retirement expectations.