Insider Buying: Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) Director Purchases $100,500.00 in Stock

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) Director Donald Scott Rogerson acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $50.25 per share, for a total transaction of $100,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $407,175.75. The trade was a 32.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Equity Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of EQBK stock opened at $51.49 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $48.55 and its 200 day moving average is $46.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.84 and a beta of 0.77. Equity Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $36.31 and a 12 month high of $51.94. 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 (NYSE:EQBK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $85.10 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Equity Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Equity Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Equity Bancshares’s payout ratio is presently 43.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EQBK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Hovde Group initiated coverage on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $51.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $57.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Equity Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. One 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.17.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

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

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.