Julie Huber Sells 5,303 Shares of Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) Stock

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) COO Julie Huber sold 5,303 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.05, for a total transaction of $270,718.15. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 62,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,165,559.45. The trade was a 7.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Equity Bancshares Stock Up 0.1%

EQBK stock opened at $50.78 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.41 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Equity Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $36.04 and a 52 week high of $51.73.

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

Equity Bancshares Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Equity Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Equity Bancshares by 282.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 502 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 132.0% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 553 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 233.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 1,347 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 33.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. 71.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on EQBK shares. Stephens boosted their price target on Equity Bancshares from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Equity Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $57.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Equity Bancshares from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Equity Bancshares has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.17.

Equity Bancshares News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Equity Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Lisa Ann Schlehuber purchased 989 shares for approximately $50,419 at an average price of $50.98, increasing her direct ownership by nearly 90%. The purchase may be viewed as a vote of confidence in EQBK’s valuation and outlook. Equity Bancshares Director Purchases Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Equity Bancshares previously reported quarterly EPS of $1.41, exceeding the $1.24 analyst consensus. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with a target price of $54.17 and individual targets as high as $59, suggesting potential upside from recent levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership stands at approximately 71.8%, while several investment managers increased their EQBK positions during the first quarter. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, equivalent to a 1.4% annualized yield.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock remains close to its 52-week high of $51.73 and has advanced above its 50-day average of $48.03 and 200-day average of $46.38. This reflects strong momentum but may also indicate that some positive expectations are already priced in.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Brad S. Elliott sold 12,272 shares for approximately $626,240, reducing his holdings by 18.16%. COO Julie A. Huber also sold a combined 7,500 shares for roughly $383,029, cutting her position by 11.3%. The sizable executive sales could weigh on sentiment, although insider transactions may reflect personal financial planning rather than a change in business outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: While EPS beat expectations, quarterly revenue of $81.93 million fell short of the $85.10 million consensus estimate, highlighting a potential weakness in top-line performance.

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.