Ann Knutson Sells 450 Shares of Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) Stock

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) insider Ann Knutson sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.93, for a total value of $19,768.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $367,430.52. This represents a 5.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Equity Bancshares Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:EQBK opened at $43.90 on Wednesday. Equity Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.11 and a fifty-two week high of $50.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $45.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $921.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.51 and a beta of 0.86.

Equity Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Equity Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Equity Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Equity Bancshares from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Equity Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on Equity Bancshares from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EQBK. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Equity Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 282.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Equity Bancshares by 132.0% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Equity Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $59,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Equity Bancshares by 233.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 1,347 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.80% of the company’s stock.

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.