Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Equity Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:EQBK) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $54.1667.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on EQBK. 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 report on Monday, June 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Equity Bancshares from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Equity Bancshares in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Benchmark started coverage on shares of Equity Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $57.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Transactions at Equity Bancshares

In other news, CEO Brad S. Elliott sold 12,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.03, for a total value of $626,240.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,313 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,822,622.39. This represents a 18.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lisa Ann Schlehuber bought 989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $50.98 per share, with a total value of $50,419.22. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 2,092 shares in the company, valued at $106,650.16. This represents a 89.66% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 4,989 shares of company stock valued at $250,919 and have sold 26,186 shares valued at $1,331,626. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equity Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Equity Bancshares by 282.0% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 680 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings 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 worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Equity Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,347 shares in the last quarter. 71.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equity Bancshares Stock Up 1.5%

EQBK stock opened at $49.73 on Thursday. Equity Bancshares has a twelve month low of $38.60 and a twelve month high of $52.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 29.78 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.06.

Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.17. Equity Bancshares had a return on equity of 13.34% and a net margin of 8.26%.The firm had revenue of $81.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $85.10 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Equity Bancshares will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current year.

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.