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

Key Points

• COO Julie Huber sold 5,303 Equity Bancshares shares at an average price of $51.05, totaling approximately $270,718. Following the transaction, she retained 62,009 shares, an ownership decrease of 7.88%.
• Equity Bancshares reported quarterly EPS of $1.41, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.24, while revenue of $81.93 million fell short of the $85.10 million consensus estimate.
• The stock traded near its 52-week high at $51.24, and analysts maintained an overall “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $54.17. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, yielding about 1.4% annually.

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK - Get Free Report) COO Julie Huber sold 5,303 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.05, for a total value of $270,718.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 62,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,165,559.45. This represents a 7.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Equity Bancshares Stock Performance

NYSE:EQBK traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $51.24. 43,264 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 117,721. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.36. Equity Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $36.04 and a 52 week high of $51.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.63 and a beta of 0.77.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $81.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $85.10 million. Equity Bancshares had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 8.26%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Equity Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Equity Bancshares's payout ratio is presently 43.11%.

Institutional Trading of Equity Bancshares

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Bancshares by 0.6% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 48,621 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,159,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Equity Bancshares by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 51,640 shares of the company's stock worth $2,306,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in Equity Bancshares by 5.6% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 7,306 shares of the company's stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 9,516 shares of the company's stock valued at $425,000 after acquiring an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in 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. Institutional investors own 71.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EQBK has been the subject of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Stephens raised their price target on Equity Bancshares from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Equity Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Equity Bancshares from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "buy" rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $54.17.

About Equity Bancshares

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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