DA Davidson Boosts Earnings Estimates for Equity Bancshares

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:EQBK - Free Report) - DA Davidson raised their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Equity Bancshares in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, July 16th. DA Davidson analyst J. Rulis now anticipates that the bank will post earnings per share of $4.50 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $4.45. DA Davidson has a "Neutral" rating and a $44.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Equity Bancshares' current full-year earnings is $3.72 per share.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on EQBK. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Equity Bancshares in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $47.80.

Equity Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EQBK traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $39.79. The company had a trading volume of 86,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 62,622. The company has a market capitalization of $696.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.78. Equity Bancshares has a 1 year low of $32.95 and a 1 year high of $50.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $40.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.51.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares in the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 311.5% in 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 shares of Equity Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $98,000. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 139.9% in 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 shares of Equity Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $119,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Equity Bancshares

In related news, COO Julie A. Huber sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.10, for a total transaction of $156,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 57,688 shares in the company, valued at $2,255,600.80. The trade was a 6.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Equity Bancshares Dividend Announcement

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

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.