American Century Companies Inc. Trims Stake in Equity Bancshares, Inc. $EQBK

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. reduced its stake in Equity Bancshares, Inc. by 28% during the first quarter, selling 26,773 shares and retaining 68,815 shares, valued at approximately $2.71 million.
• Several other institutional investors have increased their holdings in Equity Bancshares, with 71.80% of the stock currently owned by institutional investors.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with a consensus target price of $47.80 and an average rating of "Moderate Buy."

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its holdings in Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:EQBK - Free Report) by 28.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,815 shares of the bank's stock after selling 26,773 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.39% of Equity Bancshares worth $2,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EQBK. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of Equity Bancshares by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,417 shares of the bank's stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $703,000. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Equity Bancshares by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 26,383 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 3,075 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equity Bancshares by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 9,079 shares of the bank's stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $231,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.80% of the company's stock.

Equity Bancshares Stock Performance

EQBK stock traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $42.24. 82,367 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 76,530. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $40.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. Equity Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $34.11 and a 52 week high of $50.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $811.67 million, a PE ratio of 10.61 and a beta of 0.83.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on EQBK shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Equity Bancshares from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Equity Bancshares from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $48.40.

Equity Bancshares Profile

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.