Head to Head Review: Iowa First Bancshares (OTCMKTS:IOFB) vs. Equity Bancshares (NASDAQ:EQBK)

Equity Bancshares (NASDAQ:EQBK) and Iowa First Bancshares (OTCMKTS:IOFB) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Equity Bancshares and Iowa First Bancshares”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Equity Bancshares	$149.03 million	3.95	$7.82 million	$0.60	64.32
Iowa First Bancshares	N/A	N/A	$2.50 million	N/A	N/A

Equity Bancshares has higher revenue and earnings than Iowa First Bancshares.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

71.8% of Equity Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 8.0% of Equity Bancshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 12.8% of Iowa First Bancshares shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Equity Bancshares and Iowa First Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Equity Bancshares	3.75%	12.43%	1.09%
Iowa First Bancshares	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for Equity Bancshares and Iowa First Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Equity Bancshares	0	3	1	0	2.25
Iowa First Bancshares	0	0	0	0	N/A

Equity Bancshares currently has a consensus price target of $39.00, indicating a potential upside of 1.06%. Given Equity Bancshares’ higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Equity Bancshares is more favorable than Iowa First Bancshares.

Summary

Equity Bancshares beats Iowa First Bancshares on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Equity Bancshares

Equity Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Equity Bank that provides a range of banking, mortgage banking, and financial services to individual and corporate customers. The company accepts various demand, savings, money market, and time deposits. Its loan products include commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, commercial lines of credit, working capital, term, equipment and aircraft financing, acquisition, expansion and development, borrowing base, real estate construction, homebuilder, agricultural, government guaranteed, and other loan products. The company's loan products also comprise 1 4 family residential mortgages, agriculture, consumer, residential real estate mortgage, and agricultural real estate and production loans. It also provides debit and credit cards; insurance brokerage; trust and wealth management; online banking solutions, such as access to account balances, online transfers, online bill payment, and electronic delivery of customer statements; mobile banking solutions comprising remote check deposits with mobile bill pay; ATMs; and treasury management, wire transfer, automated clearing house, and stop payment services. In addition, the company offers cash management deposit products, such as lockbox, remote deposit capture, positive pay, reverse positive pay, account reconciliation services, zero balance accounts, and sweep accounts, as well as banking services through telephone, mail, and personal appointments. It operates a network of branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Equity Bancshares, Inc. was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.

About Iowa First Bancshares

Iowa First Bancshares Corp. operates as the bank holding company for First National Bank of Muscatine and First National Bank in Fairfield that provide various banking products and services for individuals, businesses, and governmental organizations in Iowa. It offers checking, savings, money market, and time deposit accounts; and commercial and industrial, commercial real estate owner and non-owner occupied, agriculture, residential real estate, and consumer and other loans. The company also provides safe deposit, funds transmitting, trust, debit and credit card, Internet banking, automated teller machine, and other banking services. It operates through 4 locations in Muscatine and 2 locations in Fairfield, Iowa. The company was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa.