UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class |
Trading |
Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
| Item 7.01 | Regulation FD Disclosure |
Tender Offer Preliminary Results
On April 2, 2025, Equitable Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), issued a press release announcing the preliminary results of its previously announced tender offer (the “Offer”) to purchase up to 46,000,000 units representing assignments of beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests (“Units”) in AllianceBernstein Holding L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, which expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 1, 2025.
A copy of the press release issued by the Company is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1.
Important Additional Information
This communication is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any Units or any other securities.
As provided in General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information and exhibits provided pursuant to this Item 7.01 shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall they be deemed to be incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “seeks,” “aims,” “plans,” “assumes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “shall” or variations of such words are generally part of forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on management’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects upon the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding projections, estimates, forecasts and other financial and performance metrics and projections of market expectations. “We,” “us” and “our” refer to the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context refers only to the Company as a corporate entity. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, all matters that are not historical facts.
These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and there are certain important factors that could cause actual results to differ, possibly materially, from expectations or estimates reflected in such forward-looking statements, including, among others: (i) conditions in the financial markets and economy, including the impact of geopolitical conflicts, changes in tariffs and trade barriers, and related economic conditions, equity market declines and volatility, interest rate fluctuations, impacts on our goodwill and changes in liquidity and access to and cost of capital; (ii) operational factors, including reliance on the payment of dividends to Holdings by its subsidiaries, protection of confidential customer information or proprietary business information, operational failures by us or our service providers, potential strategic transactions, changes in accounting standards, and catastrophic events, such as the outbreak of pandemic diseases; (iii) credit, counterparties and investments, including counterparty default on derivative contracts, failure of financial institutions, defaults by third parties and affiliates and economic downturns, defaults and other events adversely affecting our investments; (iv) our reinsurance and hedging programs; (v) our products, structure and product distribution, including variable annuity guaranteed benefits features within certain of our products, variations in statutory capital requirements, financial strength and claims-paying ratings, state insurance laws limiting the ability of our insurance subsidiaries to pay dividends and key product distribution relationships; (vi) estimates, assumptions and valuations, including risk management policies and procedures, potential inadequacy of reserves and experience differing from pricing expectations, amortization of deferred acquisition costs and financial models; (vii) our Asset Management segment, including fluctuations in assets under management and the industry-wide shift from actively-managed investment services to passive services; (viii) recruitment and retention of key employees and experienced and productive financial professionals; (ix) subjectivity of the determination of the amount of allowances and impairments taken on our investments; (x) legal and regulatory risks, including federal and state legislation affecting financial institutions, insurance regulation and tax reform; (xi) risks related to our common stock and (xii) general risks, including strong industry competition, information systems failing or being compromised and protecting our intellectual property.
Forward-looking statements should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements, risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as otherwise may be required by law.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits |
(d) Exhibits
| 99.1 | Press Release of Equitable Holdings, Inc., dated April 2, 2025 (furnished and not filed) | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| EQUITABLE HOLDINGS, INC. | ||||||
| Date: April 2, 2025 | By: | /s/ Ralph Petruzzo | ||||
| Name: | Ralph Petruzzo | |||||
| Title: | Deputy General Counsel | |||||
Exhibit 99.1
Equitable Holdings Announces Preliminary Results of Cash Tender Offer for Up
to 46,000,000 Units of AllianceBernstein Holding
New York, NY, April 2, 2025 — Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH), the leading financial services holding company of Equitable, AllianceBernstein and Equitable Advisors, today announced the preliminary results of its previously announced cash tender offer to purchase up to 46,000,000 units (“Units”) representing assignments of beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests in AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE: AB) (“AB Holding”), at a price of $38.50 per Unit, net to the seller in cash, for an aggregate purchase price of up to approximately $1.8 billion, less any applicable tax withholding (the “Offer”), which expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 1, 2025 (the “Expiration Time”).
Based on a preliminary count by the depositary and paying agent for the Offer, a total of 19,766,878 Units were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn under the Offer prior to the Expiration Time, including 559,614 Units that were tendered by notice of guaranteed delivery.
In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Offer, Equitable expects to accept for payment all of the Units that were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, for an aggregate cost of approximately $761.0 million, excluding fees and expenses relating to the Offer. As Equitable expects to accept for purchase all of the Units that were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn there is no proration factor. The Units that Equitable expects to accept for purchase represent approximately 17.9% of the outstanding Units as of December 31, 2024. After giving effect to such purchase, Equitable will have an approximate 68.6% economic interest in AllianceBernstein L.P., the operating partnership of AB Holding.
The number of Units expected to be purchased in the Offer is based on the depositary and paying agent’s preliminary count and the assumption that all Units tendered by notice of guaranteed delivery will be delivered within the required one business day period and is subject to change. The final number of Units to be purchased will be announced following the expiration of the guaranteed delivery period and completion by the depositary and paying agent of its confirmation process. Payment for Units accepted for purchase under the Offer will occur promptly thereafter.
Questions regarding the Offer and requests for assistance in connection with the Offer may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc. (“D.F. King”), the information agent for the Offer, by contacting them at (800) 848-3402 (toll-free) or via email at AB@dfking.com. Banks and brokers may contact D.F. King at (212) 269-5550 or Barclays Capital Inc., the dealer manager for the Offer, at (800) 438-3242 (toll-free). Computershare Trust Company, N.A. is acting as depositary and paying agent for the Offer.
This press release is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell any Units.
About Equitable Holdings
Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH) is a leading financial services holding company comprised of complementary and well-established businesses, Equitable, AllianceBernstein and Equitable Advisors. Equitable Holdings has $1.0 trillion in assets under management and administration (as of 12/31/2024) and more than 5 million client relationships globally. Founded in 1859, Equitable provides retirement and protection strategies to individuals, families and small businesses. AllianceBernstein is a global investment management firm that offers diversified investment services to institutional investors, individuals and private wealth clients. Equitable Advisors, LLC (Equitable Financial Advisors in MI and TN) has 4,600 duly registered and licensed financial professionals that provide financial planning, wealth management, retirement planning, protection and risk management services to clients across the country.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Words such as “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “seeks,” “aims,” “plans,” “assumes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “shall” or variations of such words are generally part of forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. You should read this press release, the Offer to Purchase and the other related Offer documents that have been or will be delivered to you or filed by Equitable with the SEC completely and with the understanding that actual future events may be materially different from expectations. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and Equitable undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as otherwise may be required by law.
Contacts:
Investor Relations
Erik Bass
(212) 314-2476
IR@equitable.com
Media Relations
Laura Yagerman
(212) 314-2010
mediarelations@equitable.com