Head to Head Contrast: Equus Total Return (NYSE:EQS) vs. BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund (NYSE:MPA)

Equus Total Return (NYSE:EQS) and BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund (NYSE:MPA) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, risk and dividends.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Equus Total Return and BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Equus Total Return	-$12.16 million	-1.96	-$18.78 million	($1.25)	-1.40
BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund has higher revenue and earnings than Equus Total Return.

Volatility & Risk

Equus Total Return has a beta of 0.73, indicating that its share price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund has a beta of 0.61, indicating that its share price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Equus Total Return and BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Equus Total Return	1	0	0	0	1.00
BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund	0	0	0	0	0.00

Profitability

This table compares Equus Total Return and BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Equus Total Return	-1,212.18%	-8.77%	-6.08%
BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

24.7% of BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund shares are owned by institutional investors. 29.9% of Equus Total Return shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund beats Equus Total Return on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

About BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund

BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc. It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It invests primarily in long-term investment grade municipal obligations exempt from federal income taxes and Pennsylvania income taxes. The fund also invests in short-term investments and other bonds. BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund was formed in November 4, 1992 and is domiciled in United States.