Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Equity Bancshares has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, based on eight ratings firms, with an average 1-year price target of $53.20.
• The company beat earnings expectations for the latest quarter, posting $1.41 EPS versus the $1.24 estimate, though revenue came in below forecast at $81.93 million.
• Equity Bancshares also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, which annualizes to $0.72 and implies a 1.5% yield.

Shares of Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $53.20.

EQBK has been the topic of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, June 22nd. DA Davidson increased their price target 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. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Equity Bancshares from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Hovde Group initiated coverage on Equity Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $51.00 price target for the company.

Insider Activity at Equity Bancshares

In related news, General Counsel Brett A. Reber sold 1,686 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.85, for a total transaction of $80,675.10. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 34,495 shares in the company, valued at $1,650,585.75. This represents a 4.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Donald Scott Rogerson acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was bought at an average price of $45.93 per share, for a total transaction of $91,860.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 5,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $229,650. The trade was a 66.67% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 14.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EQBK. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 98.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,448,000 after purchasing an additional 16,200 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 8.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 87,024 shares of the company's stock worth $3,865,000 after purchasing an additional 6,707 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in Equity Bancshares by 74.5% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 15,444 shares of the company's stock valued at $686,000 after buying an additional 6,593 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 38.1% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 17,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $779,000 after acquiring an additional 4,836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Equity Bancshares by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 48,621 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.80% of the company's stock.

Equity Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQBK opened at $48.77 on Wednesday. Equity Bancshares has a 12 month low of $36.04 and a 12 month high of $51.48. 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 price is $46.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.71 and a beta of 0.77.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK - Get Free Report) last announced 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 12.85% and a net margin of 6.15%.The business had revenue of $81.93 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $85.10 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Equity Bancshares will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Equity Bancshares's payout ratio is currently 57.14%.

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.

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