Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST – Get Free Report) and Vistagen Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VTGN – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and risk.
Profitability
This table compares Aquestive Therapeutics and Vistagen Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Aquestive Therapeutics | -59.75% | N/A | -33.96% |
| Vistagen Therapeutics | -4,521.71% | -36.35% | -33.62% |
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Aquestive Therapeutics and Vistagen Therapeutics”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Aquestive Therapeutics | $50.58 million | 5.59 | -$7.87 million | ($0.45) | -6.89 |
| Vistagen Therapeutics | $1.06 million | 76.69 | -$29.36 million | ($1.24) | -2.35 |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
32.5% of Aquestive Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.4% of Vistagen Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 7.9% of Aquestive Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.3% of Vistagen Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Volatility and Risk
Aquestive Therapeutics has a beta of 2.71, suggesting that its stock price is 171% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vistagen Therapeutics has a beta of 0.78, suggesting that its stock price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Aquestive Therapeutics and Vistagen Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Aquestive Therapeutics | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3.14 |
| Vistagen Therapeutics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4.00 |
Aquestive Therapeutics presently has a consensus price target of $11.00, suggesting a potential upside of 254.84%. Given Aquestive Therapeutics’ higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Aquestive Therapeutics is more favorable than Vistagen Therapeutics.
Summary
Aquestive Therapeutics beats Vistagen Therapeutics on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Aquestive Therapeutics
Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. operates as a pharmaceutical company in the United States and internationally. The company markets Sympazan, an oral soluble film formulation of clobazam for the treatment of lennox-gastaut syndrome; Suboxone, a sublingual film formulation of buprenorphine and naloxone for the treatment of opioid dependence; Zuplenz, an oral soluble film formulation of ondansetron for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and post-operative recovery; and Azstarys, a once-daily product for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Its proprietary product candidates comprise Libervant, a buccal soluble film formulation of diazepam for the treatment of seizures; KYNMOBI, a sublingual film formulation of apomorphine for the treatment of episodic off-periods in Parkinson's disease; and Exservan, an oral soluble film formulation of riluzole for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The company's proprietary pipeline of complex molecule product includes AQST-108, a sublingual film formulation delivering systemic epinephrine for the treatment of conditions other than anaphylaxis; and Anaphylm, an epinephrine sublingual film for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. In addition, it develops Adrenaverse, an epinephrine prodrug platform. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Warren, New Jersey.
About Vistagen Therapeutics
Vistagen Therapeutics, Inc., a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, primarily focus to transform the treatment landscape for individuals living with anxiety, depression, and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The company's pipeline includes six clinical stage product candidates, including five investigational agents belonging to drugs known as pherines. Its product pipeline comprises PH94B, a fasedienol nasal spray, which is in Phase III development for the treatment of social anxiety disorder; and PH10, a Ituvone nasal spray which is in Phase II development for the treatment of major depressive disorder. In addition, the company is also developing PH15, an early-stage investigational synthetic neuroactive steroid for the treatment of cognition improvement; PH80, an odorless and tasteless synthetic investigational pherine for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes and migraine; PH284, an early-stage investigational synthetic neuroactive steroid for the treatment of wasting syndrome Cachexia; and AV-101, an oral nmdr glycine site antagonist for depression and neurological disorders. Further, it has a license and collaboration agreement with EverInsight Therapeutics Inc. to develop and commercialize to address ophthalmologic and CNS disorders. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.
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