Lisa Ann Schlehuber Purchases 989 Shares of Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) Stock

Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) Director Lisa Ann Schlehuber bought 989 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $50.98 per share, for a total transaction of $50,419.22. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 2,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $106,650.16. The trade was a 89.66% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Equity Bancshares Stock Up 0.1%

Equity Bancshares stock opened at $50.78 on Friday. Equity Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $36.04 and a 12 month high of $51.73. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.41 and a beta of 0.77.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.17. Equity Bancshares had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 8.26%.The firm had revenue of $81.93 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $85.10 million. Equities analysts predict that Equity Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.18 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Equity Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,930,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,216,000 after buying an additional 44,681 shares during the last quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC now owns 1,222,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,768,000 after purchasing an additional 96,695 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Partners GP II L.P. purchased a new position in Equity Bancshares during the third quarter valued at $49,541,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Equity Bancshares by 2.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 921,826 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,518,000 after purchasing an additional 22,233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 0.5% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 761,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,974,000 after purchasing an additional 3,765 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Equity Bancshares News

Here are the key news stories impacting Equity Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Lisa Ann Schlehuber purchased 989 shares for approximately $50,419 at an average price of $50.98, increasing her direct ownership by nearly 90%. The purchase may be viewed as a vote of confidence in EQBK’s valuation and outlook. Equity Bancshares Director Purchases Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Equity Bancshares previously reported quarterly EPS of $1.41, exceeding the $1.24 analyst consensus. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with a target price of $54.17 and individual targets as high as $59, suggesting potential upside from recent levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership stands at approximately 71.8%, while several investment managers increased their EQBK positions during the first quarter. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, equivalent to a 1.4% annualized yield.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock remains close to its 52-week high of $51.73 and has advanced above its 50-day average of $48.03 and 200-day average of $46.38. This reflects strong momentum but may also indicate that some positive expectations are already priced in.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Brad S. Elliott sold 12,272 shares for approximately $626,240, reducing his holdings by 18.16%. COO Julie A. Huber also sold a combined 7,500 shares for roughly $383,029, cutting her position by 11.3%. The sizable executive sales could weigh on sentiment, although insider transactions may reflect personal financial planning rather than a change in business outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: While EPS beat expectations, quarterly revenue of $81.93 million fell short of the $85.10 million consensus estimate, highlighting a potential weakness in top-line performance.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EQBK has been the subject of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, June 22nd. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Equity Bancshares from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Equity Bancshares from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Equity Bancshares from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.17.

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.