Julie Huber Sells 2,197 Shares of Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) Stock

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) COO Julie Huber sold 2,197 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.12, for a total transaction of $112,310.64. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 62,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,169,900.08. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Equity Bancshares Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Equity Bancshares stock traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $51.24. The company had a trading volume of 43,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 117,721. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company’s 50-day moving average is $47.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.36. The company has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.69 and a beta of 0.77. Equity Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $36.04 and a twelve month high of $51.73.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.17. Equity Bancshares had a net margin of 8.26% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $81.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $85.10 million. Analysts anticipate that Equity Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EQBK. Wall Street Zen raised Equity Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Stephens increased their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $51.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.17.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EQBK. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 98.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,448,000 after buying an additional 16,200 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equity Bancshares by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 87,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,865,000 after acquiring an additional 6,707 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Equity Bancshares by 74.5% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 15,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,000 after acquiring an additional 6,593 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Equity Bancshares by 38.1% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 17,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 4,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 0.6% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 48,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 71.80% of the stock is 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.