Critical Contrast: Equus Total Return (NYSE:EQS) versus iShares Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB)

iShares Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) and Equus Total Return (NYSE:EQS) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, risk and profitability.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares iShares Biotechnology ETF and Equus Total Return”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
iShares Biotechnology ETF	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Equus Total Return	$250,000.00	59.80	$12.95 million	($0.50)	-2.20

Equus Total Return has higher revenue and earnings than iShares Biotechnology ETF.

Profitability

This table compares iShares Biotechnology ETF and Equus Total Return’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
iShares Biotechnology ETF	N/A	N/A	N/A
Equus Total Return	-621.28%	-7.73%	-3.63%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for iShares Biotechnology ETF and Equus Total Return, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
iShares Biotechnology ETF	0	7	10	0	2.66
Equus Total Return	0	0	0	0	0.00

iShares Biotechnology ETF presently has a consensus target price of $136.61, indicating a potential upside of 0.00%. Given iShares Biotechnology ETF’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe iShares Biotechnology ETF is more favorable than Equus Total Return.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

62.5% of iShares Biotechnology ETF shares are held by institutional investors. 30.6% of Equus Total Return shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

iShares Biotechnology ETF has a beta of 0.72, suggesting that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Equus Total Return has a beta of 0.96, suggesting that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

iShares Biotechnology ETF beats Equus Total Return on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About iShares Biotechnology ETF

iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (the Index). The Index contains securities of NASDAQ listed companies that are classified according to the Industry Classification Benchmark as either biotechnology or pharmaceuticals, which also meet other eligibility criteria determined by NASDAQ. The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. Due to the use of representative sampling, the Fund may or may not hold all of the securities that are included in the Index. The Fund’s investment advisor is BlackRock Fund Advisors, which is indirectly owned by BlackRock, Inc.

About Equus Total Return

Equus Total Return, Inc. is a business development company (BDC) specializing in leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, corporate partnerships/joint ventures, growth and expansion capital, acquisition financing, roll-up acquisition strategies, operational turnarounds, recapitalizations of existing businesses, special situations, equity and equity-oriented securities issued by privately owned companies, debt securities including subordinate debt, debt convertible into common or preferred stock, or debt combined with warrants and common and preferred stock, and preferred equity financing. It invests in small to mid-sized companies and acts as a lead investor. It invests in technology, telecommunication, financial services, natural resource and industrial manufacturing and services. It invests in companies engaged in the alternative energy, real estate, healthcare, education, e-learning, leisure and entertainment, and foreign investment sector in the United States, China, India, and Europe. It investments include common and preferred stock, debt convertible into common or preferred stock, debt combined with warrants and options, and other rights to acquire common or preferred stock. It seeks to invest in companies between $1 million to $25 million with revenues between $5 million and $150 million with EBITDA between $2 million to $50 million. It seeks to take control and non-control equity positions. Equus Total Return, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is based in Houston, Texas with additional office in Vancouver, Canada.