Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts' consensus is "Hold"—four analysts rate Equity Bancshares as a hold and one as a buy, with an average 12‑month target of $52.67 and recent price-target upgrades (Piper Sandler to $57, DA Davidson to $52, KBW to $49).
• High institutional ownership and inflows: About 71.8% of the stock is held by institutions, with notable position increases from T. Rowe Price, FJ Capital, Vanguard and others during recent quarters.
• Dividend and valuation snapshot: The company declared a $0.18 quarterly dividend ($0.72 annual, 1.6% yield, DPR ~54.96%); the stock has a $939.2M market cap, P/E of 34.16 and a 52‑week range of $34.11–$50.07.

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $52.6667.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Equity Bancshares from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research lowered Equity Bancshares from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Equity Bancshares from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Equity Bancshares from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Equity Bancshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Equity Bancshares by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,930,925 shares of the company's stock worth $86,216,000 after acquiring an additional 44,681 shares during the period. FJ Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Equity Bancshares by 8.6% in the third quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 1,222,791 shares of the company's stock worth $49,768,000 after purchasing an additional 96,695 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Partners GP II L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $49,541,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Equity Bancshares by 2.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 921,826 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,518,000 after buying an additional 22,233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 761,014 shares of the company's stock worth $30,974,000 after buying an additional 3,765 shares during the period. 71.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Bancshares Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:EQBK opened at $44.75 on Monday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $45.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.92. Equity Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $34.11 and a fifty-two week high of $50.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $939.20 million, a P/E ratio of 34.16 and a beta of 0.84.

Equity Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Equity Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.96%.

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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