Financial Contrast: Vaxart (NASDAQ:VXRT) versus Opthea (NASDAQ:OPT)

Opthea (NASDAQ:OPT) and Vaxart (NASDAQ:VXRT) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Opthea and Vaxart’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Opthea	N/A	N/A	N/A
Vaxart	-920.00%	-121.06%	-79.98%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Opthea and Vaxart, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Opthea	0	0	1	0	3.00
Vaxart	0	0	2	0	3.00

Opthea presently has a consensus price target of $14.00, suggesting a potential upside of 533.48%. Vaxart has a consensus price target of $3.00, suggesting a potential upside of 393.75%. Given Opthea’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Opthea is more favorable than Vaxart.

Volatility & Risk

Opthea has a beta of 1.11, suggesting that its stock price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vaxart has a beta of 0.65, suggesting that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

56.0% of Opthea shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 18.1% of Vaxart shares are held by institutional investors. 3.2% of Opthea shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.0% of Vaxart shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Opthea and Vaxart’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Opthea	$117,097.00	1,102.10	-$142.52 million	N/A	N/A
Vaxart	$7.38 million	14.61	-$82.46 million	($0.53)	-1.15

Vaxart has higher revenue and earnings than Opthea.

Summary

Opthea beats Vaxart on 8 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Opthea

Opthea Limited, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and commercialization of therapies primarily for eye disease in Australia. The company's development activities are based on the intellectual property portfolio covering Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors (VEGF) VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and VEGF Receptor-3 for the treatment of diseases associated with blood and lymphatic vessel growth, as well as vascular leakage. Its lead product candidate is Sozinibercept (OPT 302), a soluble form of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 VEGFR-3, currently under Phase 3 clinical development as a novel therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. The company was formerly known as Circadian Technologies Limited and changed its name to Opthea Limited in December 2015. Opthea Limited was incorporated in 1984 and is based in South Yarra, Australia.

About Vaxart

Vaxart, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, discovers and develops oral recombinant protein vaccines based on its proprietary oral vaccine platform. The company's product pipeline includes norovirus vaccine, a bivalent oral tablet vaccine in Phase 2 clinical trial for the GI.1 and GII.4 norovirus strains; coronavirus vaccine, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial, for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection; seasonal influenza vaccine, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial, to treat H1 influenza infection; and human papillomavirus therapeutic vaccine, which is in preclinical stage, that targets HPV-16 and HPV-18 for cervical cancers and precancerous cervical lesions. It has a license agreement with Altesa Biosciences, Inc. to develop and commercialize Vapendavir, a capsid-binding broad-spectrum antiviral. Vaxart, Inc. is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.