Equity Bancshares (EQBK) Competitors $41.77 +1.21 (+2.98%) Closing price 10/24/2025 03:59 PM EasternExtended Trading$41.86 +0.09 (+0.22%) As of 10/24/2025 05:54 PM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more. Add Compare Share Share Competitors Stock AnalysisAnalyst ForecastsChartCompetitorsDividendFinancialsHeadlinesInsider TradesOptions ChainOwnershipSEC FilingsShort InterestSustainabilityTrendsBuy This Stock EQBK vs. BUSE, FFBC, FMBH, FRME, IBCP, IBOC, TCBK, TOWN, UBSI, and OBKShould you be buying Equity Bancshares stock or one of its competitors? The main competitors of Equity Bancshares include First Busey (BUSE), First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC), First Mid Bancshares (FMBH), First Merchants (FRME), Independent Bank (IBCP), International Bancshares (IBOC), TriCo Bancshares (TCBK), Towne Bank (TOWN), United Bankshares (UBSI), and Origin Bancorp (OBK). Equity Bancshares vs. Its Competitors First Busey First Financial Bancorp. First Mid Bancshares First Merchants Independent Bank International Bancshares TriCo Bancshares Towne Bank United Bankshares Origin Bancorp First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) and Equity Bancshares (NASDAQ:EQBK) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, media sentiment, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, risk, profitability and dividends. Does the media favor BUSE or EQBK? In the previous week, Equity Bancshares had 2 more articles in the media than First Busey. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Equity Bancshares and 3 mentions for First Busey. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 1.04 beat Equity Bancshares' score of 0.76 indicating that First Busey is being referred to more favorably in the media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment First Busey 1 Very Positive mention(s) 0 Positive mention(s) 1 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Equity Bancshares 3 Very Positive mention(s) 0 Positive mention(s) 1 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Is BUSE or EQBK more profitable? Equity Bancshares has a net margin of 18.66% compared to First Busey's net margin of 9.48%. Equity Bancshares' return on equity of 14.64% beat First Busey's return on equity.Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets First Busey9.48% 8.76% 1.04% Equity Bancshares 18.66%14.64%1.31% Which has more volatility & risk, BUSE or EQBK? First Busey has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Equity Bancshares has a beta of 0.82, indicating that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Do analysts recommend BUSE or EQBK? First Busey currently has a consensus price target of $27.33, indicating a potential upside of 16.41%. Equity Bancshares has a consensus price target of $50.40, indicating a potential upside of 20.67%. Given Equity Bancshares' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Equity Bancshares is more favorable than First Busey.Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score First Busey 0 Sell rating(s) 4 Hold rating(s) 3 Buy rating(s) 0 Strong Buy rating(s) 2.43Equity Bancshares 0 Sell rating(s) 3 Hold rating(s) 3 Buy rating(s) 0 Strong Buy rating(s) 2.50 Is BUSE or EQBK a better dividend stock? First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Equity Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. First Busey pays out 89.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Equity Bancshares pays out 60.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Busey has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years and Equity Bancshares has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years. First Busey is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth. Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in BUSE or EQBK? 56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.8% of Equity Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.9% of First Busey shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.6% of Equity Bancshares shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Which has higher earnings & valuation, BUSE or EQBK? First Busey has higher revenue and earnings than Equity Bancshares. First Busey is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Equity Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings RatioFirst Busey$663.36M3.15$113.69M$1.1220.96Equity Bancshares$192.21M4.18$62.62M$1.2034.81 SummaryEquity Bancshares beats First Busey on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks. Get Equity Bancshares News Delivered to You Automatically Sign up to receive the latest news and ratings for EQBK and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter. Subscribe Now View SMS TermsBy entering your phone number and clicking the sign-up button, you agree to receive periodic text messages from MarketBeat at the phone number you submitted, including texts that may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary. Messages will consist of stock alerts, news stories, and partner advertisements/offers. Consent is not a condition of the purchase of any goods or services. Text HELP for help/customer support. Unsubscribe at any time by replying "STOP" to any text message that you receive from MarketBeat or by visiting our mailing preferences page. Read our full terms of service and privacy policy. New MarketBeat Followers Over TimeWhat are MarkeBeat Followers?This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding EQBK and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period. Skip ChartMedia Sentiment Over TimeWhat is Media Sentiment?This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.Skip Chart EQBK vs. The Competition Export to ExcelMetricEquity BancsharesState commercial banks IndustryFinance SectorNASDAQ ExchangeMarket Cap$779.48M$1.05B$12.73B$10.81BDividend Yield1.77%10.15%5.54%4.80%P/E Ratio10.498.9922.4230.98Price / Sales4.183.2930.23133.64Price / Cash10.6310.1122.5761.86Price / Book1.421.012.206.61Net Income$62.62M$885.92M$1.02B$277.10M7 Day Performance4.24%1.18%1.62%2.57%1 Month Performance1.80%-2.20%0.01%3.20%1 Year Performance-0.55%2.07%542.49%33.22% Equity Bancshares Competitors List Export to ExcelCompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)EQBKEquity Bancshares4.2489 of 5 stars$41.77+3.0%$50.40+20.7%-0.8%$779.48M$192.21M10.49700BUSEFirst Busey4.7435 of 5 stars$23.29+3.6%$27.33+17.4%-2.9%$2.00B$663.36M20.791,548Upcoming EarningsShort Interest ↑FFBCFirst Financial Bancorp.4.88 of 5 stars$24.30+2.4%$29.83+22.8%-1.2%$2.27B$1.62B9.722,090Trending NewsEarnings ReportAnalyst ForecastFMBHFirst Mid Bancshares3.4471 of 5 stars$36.42+2.4%$43.33+19.0%-1.2%$853.35M$453.67M10.351,198News CoverageUpcoming EarningsAnalyst DowngradeFRMEFirst Merchants4.9793 of 5 stars$36.75+2.9%$48.00+30.6%+4.3%$2.06B$637.74M9.522,120Trending NewsEarnings ReportIBCPIndependent Bank3.952 of 5 stars$32.21+3.3%$36.00+11.8%-1.0%$645.93M$323.14M10.49920Upcoming EarningsDividend AnnouncementAnalyst DowngradeIBOCInternational Bancshares3.2633 of 5 stars$66.71+1.8%N/A+12.4%$4.07B$826.42M10.082,336Positive NewsAnalyst ForecastTCBKTriCo Bancshares3.7805 of 5 stars$42.31+2.8%$47.60+12.5%+2.5%$1.34B$531.04M12.441,201Trending NewsEarnings ReportAnalyst ForecastAnalyst RevisionTOWNTowne Bank4.0618 of 5 stars$33.48-0.8%$41.00+22.5%+3.6%$2.53B$1.03B14.562,720News CoverageEarnings ReportAnalyst ForecastUBSIUnited Bankshares4.2003 of 5 stars$35.82+1.7%$40.50+13.1%-1.8%$4.99B$1.63B12.662,553Trending NewsEarnings ReportAnalyst UpgradeOBKOrigin Bancorp3.6371 of 5 stars$33.91+3.2%$43.20+27.4%N/A$1.06B$347.73M15.141,031News CoverageEarnings ReportDividend AnnouncementAnalyst ForecastAnalyst Revision Related Companies and Tools Related Companies First Busey Alternatives First Financial Bancorp. Alternatives First Mid Bancshares Alternatives First Merchants Alternatives Independent Bank Alternatives International Bancshares Alternatives TriCo Bancshares Alternatives Towne Bank Alternatives United Bankshares Alternatives Origin Bancorp Alternatives Top 10 Stock Comparisons Semiconductor Stocks Artificial Intelligence Stocks Growth Stocks Magnificent Seven Stocks Pharmaceutical Stocks Ecommerce Stocks Bitcoin Stocks Meme Stocks Cryptocurrency Stocks Cybersecurity Stocks This page (NASDAQ:EQBK) was last updated on 10/26/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff From Our PartnersU.S. Government Sparking Crypto RallyMissed Bitcoin when it was $100? You’re not alone. Crypto runs in cycles—and the next one is already underw...Crypto 101 Media | SponsoredIt’s Time to Buy “the NVIDIA of Quantum Computing”Yahoo Finance wrote that investing in quantum computing could... 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