Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Analysts

Shares of Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.00.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson upped their target price on Equity Bancshares from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Stephens boosted their price target on Equity Bancshares from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Equity Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Equity Bancshares from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th.

Equity Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQBK opened at $47.69 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $49.89 and a 200-day moving average of $47.67. Equity Bancshares has a 12 month low of $38.60 and a 12 month high of $52.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $981.92 million, a PE ratio of 28.56 and a beta of 0.80.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $81.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $85.10 million. Equity Bancshares had a net margin of 8.26% and a return on equity of 13.34%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Equity Bancshares will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity Bancshares Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Equity Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Equity Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.69%.

Insider Activity at Equity Bancshares

In related news, Director Donald Scott Rogerson bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $50.00 per share, for a total transaction of $100,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $505,150. This represents a 24.68% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Julie A. Huber sold 2,197 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 62,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,169,900.08. The trade was a 3.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 4,989 shares of company stock valued at $250,919 and have sold 24,500 shares valued at $1,250,951. Corporate insiders own 14.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Equity Bancshares by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 745,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,122,000 after acquiring an additional 2,758 shares during the last quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Equity Bancshares by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC now owns 329,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,698,000 after purchasing an additional 3,173 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its position in Equity Bancshares by 37.2% in the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 279,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,469,000 after purchasing an additional 75,785 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Equity Bancshares by 8.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 87,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,865,000 after purchasing an additional 6,707 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares during the second quarter valued at about $3,967,000. 71.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Bancshares Company Profile

Equity Bancshares, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Through its subsidiary, Equity Bank, the company provides community banking services to individuals, businesses, agricultural customers and public-sector organizations.

Equity Bank offers checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential and commercial real estate loans, consumer financing, agricultural loans and commercial lines of credit. Its business banking services also include treasury management, cash management, electronic banking and other financial solutions designed to support operating and borrowing needs.

Founded in 2002, Equity Bancshares has expanded through organic growth and acquisitions.