** Shares of financial services firm Equitable Holdings EQH.N rise 5.6% to $55.2 after company boosts stake in investment management firm AllianceBernstein AB.N to 68.6%
** Brokerage UBS upgrades co to "buy" from "neutral"; raises PT to $77 from $49
** Cites EQH's annuity sales, higher stake in AB and de-risking via reinsurance as growth drivers
** "The recently announced life de-risking w/ Reinsurance Group of America is the latest of EQH's mix optimization efforts, freeing up $2b+ of deployable capital w/ minimal earnings disruption," says brokerage
** Adds that the current environment bodes well for registered index-linked annuity demand as it's less sensitive to interest rates and benefits from volatility
** Nine of 13 brokerages rate stock "buy" or higher, and 4 "hold"; median PT is $66, per data compiled by LSEG
** Including session moves, EQH stock up ~17.3% YTD compared to a 4.2% decline in the S&P 500 .SPX
(Reporting by Ateev Bhandari in Bengaluru)
((Ateev.Bhandari@thomsonreuters.com))
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