Insider Selling: Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) Insider Sells 450 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Ann Knutson sold 450 EQBK shares on March 19 at an average price of $43.93 for $19,768.50, reducing her holdings to 8,364 shares (a 5.11% decrease) according to an SEC filing.
• Dividend: Equity Bancshares declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share (annualized $0.72) payable April 15 to holders of record on March 31, implying a 1.6% yield and a 54.96% payout ratio.
• Market and analyst picture: EQBK traded around $43.78 (up ~2%), with a 52-week range of $34.11–$50.07, a market cap near $919M and P/E ~33.4; analysts have a consensus "Hold" rating with a $52.67 price target.

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK - Get Free Report) insider Ann Knutson sold 450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.93, for a total transaction of $19,768.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $367,430.52. This represents a 5.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Equity Bancshares Trading Up 2.0%

Equity Bancshares stock traded up $0.87 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $43.78. 109,766 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 109,111. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $45.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.83. Equity Bancshares, Inc. 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 $918.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.43 and a beta of 0.86.

Equity Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Equity Bancshares's payout ratio is presently 54.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on EQBK shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Equity Bancshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Equity Bancshares from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $52.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EQBK. Patriot Financial Partners GP II L.P. purchased a new position in Equity Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,541,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its position in Equity Bancshares by 96.2% in the 2nd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 213,333 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,704,000 after acquiring an additional 104,613 shares in the last quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Equity Bancshares by 8.6% during 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 period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Equity Bancshares by 110.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 144,982 shares of the company's stock worth $5,915,000 after purchasing an additional 76,167 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $1,933,000. 71.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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