Franklin Financial Services (FRAF) Competitors

Equity Bancshares (NASDAQ:EQBK) and Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, earnings, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, risk and analyst recommendations.

Does the media favor EQBK or FRAF?

In the previous week, Equity Bancshares had 22 more articles in the media than Franklin Financial Services. MarketBeat recorded 22 mentions for Equity Bancshares and 0 mentions for Franklin Financial Services. Equity Bancshares' average media sentiment score of 0.44 beat Franklin Financial Services' score of 0.00 indicating that Equity Bancshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Equity Bancshares	Neutral
Franklin Financial Services	Neutral

Which has more volatility & risk, EQBK or FRAF?

Equity Bancshares has a beta of 0.82, suggesting that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Franklin Financial Services has a beta of 0.15, suggesting that its share price is 85% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is EQBK or FRAF more profitable?

Equity Bancshares has a net margin of 18.66% compared to Franklin Financial Services' net margin of 11.78%. Equity Bancshares' return on equity of 14.64% beat Franklin Financial Services' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Equity Bancshares	18.66%	14.64%	1.31%
Franklin Financial Services	11.78%	9.64%	0.65%

Which has higher valuation & earnings, EQBK or FRAF?

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

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Equity Bancshares	$192.21M	4.01	$62.62M	$1.20	33.39
Franklin Financial Services	$115.13M	1.70	$11.10M	$3.26	13.43

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of EQBK or FRAF?

71.8% of Equity Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.8% of Franklin Financial Services shares are held by institutional investors. 6.6% of Equity Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 7.4% of Franklin Financial Services shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is EQBK or FRAF a better dividend stock?

Equity Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Franklin Financial Services pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Equity Bancshares pays out 60.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Franklin Financial Services pays out 40.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Equity Bancshares has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Franklin Financial Services has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Franklin Financial Services is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do analysts recommend EQBK or FRAF?

Equity Bancshares presently has a consensus target price of $50.40, suggesting a potential upside of 25.78%. Given Equity Bancshares' higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Equity Bancshares is more favorable than Franklin Financial Services.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Equity Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Franklin Financial Services	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Summary

Equity Bancshares beats Franklin Financial Services on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.