Equity Bancshares (NASDAQ:EQBK) Shares Gap Down - What's Next?

Shares of Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:EQBK - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $44.06, but opened at $42.40. Equity Bancshares shares last traded at $42.26, with a volume of 16,680 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Equity Bancshares from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Equity Bancshares from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Equity Bancshares from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equity Bancshares has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $47.80.

Equity Bancshares Price Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average is $40.43 and its 200-day moving average is $40.51. The firm has a market cap of $696.96 million, a P/E ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Equity Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. Equity Bancshares's payout ratio is 14.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Bancshares

In other news, COO Julie A. Huber sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.10, for a total value of $156,400.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 57,688 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,255,600.80. This represents a 6.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at about $39,000. CWM LLC increased its stake in Equity Bancshares by 311.5% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,041 shares of the bank's stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,545 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Equity Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $98,000. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in Equity Bancshares by 139.9% during the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 2,725 shares of the bank's stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Equity Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $119,000. 71.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Equity Bancshares

Equity Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Equity Bank that provides a range of banking, mortgage banking, and financial services to individual and corporate customers. The company accepts various demand, savings, money market, and time deposits. Its loan products include commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, commercial lines of credit, working capital, term, equipment and aircraft financing, acquisition, expansion and development, borrowing base, real estate construction, homebuilder, agricultural, government guaranteed, and other loan products.