Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) COO Julie Huber Sells 2,197 Shares of Stock

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) COO Julie Huber sold 2,197 shares of Equity Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.12, for a total transaction of $112,310.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 62,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,900.08. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Equity Bancshares Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Equity Bancshares stock opened at $50.59 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Equity Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.04 and a 12-month high of $51.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.30 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.38.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.17. Equity Bancshares had a net margin of 8.26% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The business had revenue of $81.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $85.10 million. Analysts predict that Equity Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.18 EPS for the current year.

Equity Bancshares Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on EQBK shares. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Stephens raised their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Equity Bancshares from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $51.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Equity Bancshares presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.17.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQBK. Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Equity Bancshares by 37.2% during the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 279,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,469,000 after buying an additional 75,785 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares in the first quarter worth about $1,585,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of Equity Bancshares by 310.3% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 28,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,245,000 after buying an additional 21,207 shares during the last quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Equity Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth about $777,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 0.6% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 48,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,159,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. 71.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.