Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.1667.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $51.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Equity Bancshares from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Equity Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research report on Monday, June 22nd.

Equity Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQBK opened at $50.32 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Equity Bancshares has a 1 year low of $36.04 and a 1 year high of $51.73. The firm has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.13 and a beta of 0.77.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $81.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $85.10 million. Equity Bancshares had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 8.26%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Equity Bancshares will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Equity Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 43.11%.

Insider Transactions at Equity Bancshares

In other news, General Counsel Brett A. Reber sold 1,686 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.85, for a total transaction of $80,675.10. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 34,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,650,585.75. This represents a 4.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Donald Scott Rogerson bought 2,000 shares of Equity Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was bought at an average price of $45.93 per share, with a total value of $91,860.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 5,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $229,650. The trade was a 66.67% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 37.2% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 279,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,469,000 after acquiring an additional 75,785 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Equity Bancshares during the first quarter valued at about $1,585,000. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Equity Bancshares during the fourth quarter valued at about $777,000. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares in the first quarter valued at about $286,000. Finally, Maltese Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC now owns 329,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,698,000 after purchasing an additional 3,173 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.80% of the company’s stock.

About Equity Bancshares

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.