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Investing.com - Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK) to $47.00 from $45.00 on Thursday, while maintaining a Market Perform rating on the stock.
The price target increase follows Equity Bancshares’ announcement on Monday that it has agreed to acquire Frontier Bank in a transaction valued at approximately $122 million, to be paid in a combination of stock and cash. The acquisition is expected to be approximately 8% accretive to earnings in 2026 and 9% accretive in 2027.
The deal will expand Equity Bancshares’ presence in Nebraska, adding approximately $1.4 billion in assets and seven branch locations. The transaction is expected to be less than 4% dilutive to tangible book value with a 2.8-year earn-back period.
Equity Bancshares also announced a balance sheet repositioning, involving the sale of approximately $359 million in securities with an average yield of 2.18%. The company plans to reinvest at an expected yield of approximately 4.75%, which KBW estimates will provide a $0.27 per share benefit to 2026 earnings.
KBW has raised its 2026 earnings estimate for Equity Bancshares by approximately 12% to $5.00 per share and established a 2027 estimate of $5.25 per share, citing the favorable impact of these strategic actions.
In other recent news, Equity Bancshares reported its second-quarter 2025 earnings, revealing a shortfall in both earnings per share (EPS) and revenue forecasts. The company posted an EPS of $0.86, which was below the expected $0.888, and revenue of $58.39 million, falling short of the anticipated $60.46 million. In addition, Equity Bancshares completed a $75 million subordinated notes offering with a fixed-to-floating interest rate structure. The notes, due in 2035, were issued through a private placement with institutional investors.
In terms of analyst activity, DA Davidson raised its price target for Equity Bancshares to $45.00 from $44.00, citing the anticipated successful close of the Frontier acquisition. Similarly, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target to $45.00, maintaining a Market Perform rating, following the company’s second-quarter earnings report. Despite these upgrades, DA Davidson had previously raised its target to $44.00 from $39.00, noting lower credit and tax costs as factors that lifted earnings per share. These developments highlight a period of mixed financial performance and strategic financial maneuvers for Equity Bancshares.
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