Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) Receives $53.20 Average PT from Analysts

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.1667.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $57.00 target price on the stock. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Equity Bancshares from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, June 22nd. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Equity Bancshares from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Equity Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday.

Insider Activity

In other Equity Bancshares news, General Counsel Brett A. Reber sold 1,686 shares of Equity Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.85, for a total value of $80,675.10. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 34,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,650,585.75. This trade represents a 4.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Donald Scott Rogerson purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $45.93 per share, for a total transaction of $91,860.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $229,650. This represents a 66.67% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Equity Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth approximately $145,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equity Bancshares by 334.7% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 48,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,893,000 after purchasing an additional 36,987 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Equity Bancshares by 18.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,679 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 1,521 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 23.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 90,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,547,000 after purchasing an additional 17,196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 5.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 61,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,434,000 after purchasing an additional 3,187 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.80% of the company’s stock.

Equity Bancshares Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE EQBK opened at $50.43 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.20 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $47.19 and its 200-day moving average is $46.10. Equity Bancshares has a one year low of $36.04 and a one year high of $51.73.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.17. Equity Bancshares had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 8.26%.The business had revenue of $81.93 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $85.10 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equity Bancshares will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Equity Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 43.11%.

Equity Bancshares Company Profile

Equity Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Equity Bank, a regional financial services provider headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. As a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker EQBK, Equity Bancshares operates a network of branches and lending offices across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois and Colorado. Its geographic footprint spans both urban and rural markets, reflecting a focus on supporting small businesses, agricultural enterprises and individual consumers throughout the Midwest.

The company’s core business activities encompass a full spectrum of commercial and consumer banking services.