Live Oak Bancshares (NYSE:LOB – Get Free Report) and Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK – Get Free Report) are both small-cap financial services companies, but which is the superior business? ProfitabilityThis table compares Live Oak Bancshares and Equity Bancshares’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Live Oak Bancshares alerts:Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Live Oak Bancshares 5.71% 5.46% 0.42% Equity Bancshares 19.99% 12.17% 1.33%Risk and VolatilityLive Oak Bancshares has a beta of 1.75, suggesting that its share price is 75% more volatile than the S&P 500. Analyst RatingsThis is a breakdown of current recommendations for Live Oak Bancshares and Equity Bancshares, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Live Oak Bancshares 0 1 0 1 3.00 Equity Bancshares 0 0 0 1 4.00Insider and Institutional Ownership64.0% of Live Oak Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors.