Equity Bancshares (EQBK) Q3 2026 earnings summary

Executive summary

• Q3 net income was $26.8M, or $1.29 diluted EPS; core net income was $29.1M, or $1.40 core diluted EPS, with core ROATCE of 16.52%.

• Loans increased $39.2M, the first quarterly increase since acquisitions closed; production reached a record $379.3M.

• YTD core EPS of $4.14 supported the stated goal of exceeding $5 in 2026.

Financial highlights

• Net interest income was $72.8M, down $1.0M QoQ but up $10.4M, or 16.6%, YoY; NIM fell to 4.20% from 4.36% as funding costs rose and earning-asset yields declined.

• Total noninterest income was $10.9M, up $2.8M QoQ; excluding prior-quarter one-time items, it increased $0.6M, led by fee and card income, treasury, trust and wealth management.

• GAAP noninterest expense was $48.1M versus $46.9M QoQ; excluding merger expenses in both periods, expense was $47.2M versus $46.8M. Efficiency ratio was 53.99%.

• Gross loans ended at $5.44B, up $39.2M QoQ; deposits were $6.17B, down $136.4M, and total assets were $7.59B.

• Provision for credit losses was $1.7M; net charge-offs were $2.1M.

Outlook and guidance

• Q4 NIM guidance is 4.25%–4.35%, excluding Lincoln; period-end loan balances and rate effects are expected to offset deposit-pricing competition.

• Q4 core noninterest income is expected at $10M–$11M and core noninterest expense at $47M–$48M, excluding Lincoln.

• Q4 provision guidance is $1M–$3M; effective tax rate guidance is 21.5%–22.5%.

• 2027 organic loan growth target is 5%–7% including Lincoln; the acquisition is expected to close in late Q4 2026 and convert in Q2 2027, with accretion beginning in 2027.