Head to Head Contrast: Equity Bancshares (NASDAQ:EQBK) versus Suncrest Bank (OTCMKTS:SBKK)

Suncrest Bank (OTCMKTS:SBKK) and Equity Bancshares (NASDAQ:EQBK) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk and institutional ownership.

Volatility and Risk

Suncrest Bank has a beta of 0.88, suggesting that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Equity Bancshares has a beta of 0.85, suggesting that its stock price is 15% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Suncrest Bank and Equity Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Suncrest Bank	N/A	N/A	N/A
Equity Bancshares	18.66%	14.64%	1.31%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Suncrest Bank and Equity Bancshares”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Suncrest Bank	$46.73 million	4.92	$16.96 million	$1.37	13.56
Equity Bancshares	$228.94 million	2.79	$62.62 million	$4.03	9.06

Equity Bancshares has higher revenue and earnings than Suncrest Bank. Equity Bancshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Suncrest Bank, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Suncrest Bank and Equity Bancshares, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Suncrest Bank	0	0	0	0	0.00
Equity Bancshares	0	3	3	0	2.50

Equity Bancshares has a consensus price target of $47.80, indicating a potential upside of 30.95%. Given Equity Bancshares’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Equity Bancshares is more favorable than Suncrest Bank.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

5.9% of Suncrest Bank shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.8% of Equity Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 6.6% of Equity Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Equity Bancshares beats Suncrest Bank on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Suncrest Bank

Suncrest Bank engages in the provision of personal and commercial banking services. It provides checking, savings and certificates of deposits, lending, cash management, online and mobile banking, e-statements, remote deposit capture, financial calculators, and customer service center. It also offers agricultural real estate loans, production finance, equipment financing and leasing, development loans, long-term fixed rate, SBA and USDA loans, valley small business guaranteed loans, USDA B&I loans, farmer mac loans, and cal-cap loans. The company was founded on May 19, 2008 and is headquartered in Visalia, CA.

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.