Analyzing Heartland BancCorp. (OTCMKTS:HLAN) & Equitable Financial (OTCMKTS:EQFN)

Insider and Institutional Ownership

7.2% of Equitable Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 7.5% of Heartland BancCorp. shares are held by institutional investors. 11.3% of Equitable Financial shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 22.7% of Heartland BancCorp. shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Equitable Financial and Heartland BancCorp.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Equitable Financial	9.70%	6.57%	0.64%
Heartland BancCorp.	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Equitable Financial and Heartland BancCorp.”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Equitable Financial	$33.95 million	1.13	$3.44 million	$1.31	11.87
Heartland BancCorp.	$119.21 million	2.74	$20.26 million	$9.76	16.39

Heartland BancCorp. has higher revenue and earnings than Equitable Financial. Equitable Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Heartland BancCorp., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Heartland BancCorp. beats Equitable Financial on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Equitable Financial

Equitable Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for Equitable Bank that provides various banking products and services in Nebraska, the United States. The company offers checking and savings accounts; recorder checks; online and mobile banking; remote deposit capture; voice banking; credit card processing; debit and gift cards; and safe deposit boxes. It also provides home, home equity, auto, personal, real estate and construction, operating lines of credit, small business administration, and agricultural loans, as well as equipment financing. In addition, the company offers foreign currency and exchanges; financial planning; wealth management; investment advisory; and retirement services. It operates through branches located in Grand Island, North Platte, and Omaha. The company was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Grand Island, Nebraska.

About Heartland BancCorp.

Heartland BancCorp operates as the bank holding company for Heartland Bank that provides various banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers. The company offers personal and business checking and savings accounts. It also provides various lending solutions comprising agricultural loans, commercial and business lending, home and personal loans, and title services. In addition, the company offers online banking, treasury management, credit and debit card, and mobile wallet services. Further, it provides education planning, insurance, wealth management, and retirement planning services. Heartland BancCorp was founded in 1911 and is based in Whitehall, Ohio.