Equity Bancshares Q3 Core EPS $1.40, Record Loan Production; Lincoln Close on Track for Q4
EQBK sits 21% above its 52-week low of $38.6 on elevated volume (2.3× avg).
Summary
Equity Bancshares reported Q3 core EPS of $1.40 with record $379M loan production and its first quarterly loan growth since the acquisitions closed, while guiding Q4 margin back to 4.25%-4.35% and confirming the Lincoln Bancorp deal remains on track to close in late Q4 2026.
Key Events · Earnings and Guidance · EQBK
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Q3 Core EPS $1.40, Net Income $26.8M
Core earnings of $29.0M, or $1.40 per share, with core ROTCE of 16.5% and pretax pre-provision earnings of $36.9M — the highest since the three-company combination.
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First Quarterly Loan Growth Since Acquisitions
Total loans rose $39M to $5.44B; legacy markets grew $106M (2.9%, ~12% annualized) on record $379M of production at a 6.91% average rate, with a $534M weighted pipeline up 27% QoQ.
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Deposits Down $136M, Margin Compresses to 4.20%
Total deposits fell 2.2% to $6.17B on public-fund migration; net interest margin declined 16 bps to 4.20%, with Q4 guided to 4.25%-4.35% excluding Lincoln.
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Lincoln Bancorp Close on Track for Late Q4
The $121.2M acquisition remains on schedule to close in late Q4 2026 with systems conversion in Q2 2027 and no branch closures; pro forma assets ~$9.1B and pro forma TCE ~8.5%.
Analysis · EQBK · Finance
Equity Bancshares delivered Q3 core EPS of $1.40 and its first quarterly loan growth since the acquisitions closed — total loans rose $39M to $5.44B, with legacy markets up nearly 12% annualized on record $379M of production at a 6.91% average rate. The offset is funding: deposits fell $136M to $6.17B as rate-sensitive public funds migrated, and net interest margin compressed 16 bps to 4.20%. Management guided Q4 margin back to 4.25%-4.35% excluding Lincoln, and said the Lincoln Bancorp acquisition remains on track to close in late Q4 2026, with systems conversion in Q2 2027 and no branch closures. The buyback is paused under the S-4 lockout, but the 22% dividend increase to $0.22 and a $1M/1M-share authorization remain in place. Year-to-date core EPS of $4.14 puts the company on pace to exceed its $5 target for 2026.
How filings like this one have moved
In the 30 days to Oct 31, 2026, 31.7% of the 1731 measured filings Wiseek scored 7 moved their stock by 5% or more by the next session's close. The median move was 0.00%. These are measured outcomes after filings of this importance, not a forecast for this one.
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At the time of this filing, EQBK was trading at $46.68 on NYSE in the Finance sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $961.3M. The 52-week trading range was $38.60 to $52.27. This filing was assessed with neutral market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10.