Kennedy Capital Management LLC Has $12.47 Million Holdings in Equity Bancshares, Inc. $EQBK

Key Points

• Kennedy Capital Management increased its stake in Equity Bancshares by 37.2% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 279,264 shares valued at about $12.47 million.
• Equity Bancshares reported quarterly EPS of $1.32, beating analyst estimates of $1.15, though revenue came in slightly below expectations at $83.26 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, implying an annualized yield of 1.5%, while analysts currently hold a consensus “Hold” rating with an average target price of $51.25.

Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK - Free Report) by 37.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 279,264 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 75,785 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned 1.46% of Equity Bancshares worth $12,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Equity Bancshares by 282.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 680 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Equity Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Equity Bancshares by 233.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,925 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 1,347 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Equity Bancshares by 33.3% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,189 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Equity Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth about $101,000. 71.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Bancshares Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of EQBK stock opened at $48.34 on Monday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $45.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. Equity Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $36.04 and a twelve month high of $50.07. The company has a market capitalization of $997.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.37 and a beta of 0.78.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 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 $83.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $85.24 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Equity Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.06 EPS for the current year.

Equity Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Equity Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Brett A. Reber sold 1,686 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.85, for a total value of $80,675.10. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 34,495 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,650,585.75. This trade represents a 4.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Donald Scott Rogerson acquired 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $45.93 per share, for a total transaction of $91,860.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $229,650. This represents a 66.67% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 2,236 shares of company stock worth $105,099 over the last three months. 14.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on EQBK. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $48.00 to $47.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Hovde Group began coverage on Equity Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "market perform" rating and a $51.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Equity Bancshares from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equity Bancshares has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.25.

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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