Head to Head Comparison: Heron Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HRTX) & ULURU (OTCMKTS:ULUR)

ULURU (OTCMKTS:ULUR) and Heron Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HRTX) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, risk and analyst recommendations.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

80.0% of Heron Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.1% of ULURU shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 5.8% of Heron Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

ULURU has a beta of -3.13, meaning that its share price is 413% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Heron Therapeutics has a beta of 1.55, meaning that its share price is 55% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for ULURU and Heron Therapeutics, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ULURU	0	0	0	0	0.00
Heron Therapeutics	0	0	3	0	3.00

Heron Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $5.67, indicating a potential upside of 138.10%. Given Heron Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Heron Therapeutics is more favorable than ULURU.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares ULURU and Heron Therapeutics”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ULURU	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Heron Therapeutics	$144.29 million	2.51	-$110.56 million	($0.09)	-26.44

ULURU has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Heron Therapeutics.

Profitability

This table compares ULURU and Heron Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ULURU	N/A	N/A	N/A
Heron Therapeutics	-20.31%	N/A	-12.72%

Summary

Heron Therapeutics beats ULURU on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ULURU

ULURU Inc., a specialty medical technology company, researches, develops, and commercializes a range of wound care and muco-adhesive film products based on its patented Nanoflex and OraDisc technologies in the United States and internationally. The company provides Altrazeal, a transforming powder dressing that is used for the treatment of various wounds, such as partial thickness burns, donor sites, and surgical and traumatic wounds, as well as chronic wounds, including diabetic foot, venous leg, and pressure ulcers. Its products also include Aphthasol paste for the treatment of canker sores; OraDisc A for canker sores; and OraDisc B, which is used for the treatment and management of oral pain. ULURU Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Addison, Texas.

About Heron Therapeutics

Heron Therapeutics, Inc., a commercial-stage biotechnology company, focuses on enhancing the lives of patients by developing and commercializing therapeutic that enhances medical care. The company's product candidates utilize its proprietary Biochronomer, a drug delivery technology, which delivers therapeutic levels of a range of short-acting pharmacological agents over a period from days to weeks with a single administration. It offers SUSTOL (granisetron), an extended-release injection for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting associated with moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, or anthracycline and cyclophosphamide combination chemotherapy regimens; and CINVANTI, an intravenous formulation of aprepitant, a substance P/neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting associated with highly emetogenic cancer chemotherapy, as well as nausea and vomiting associated with moderately emetogenic cancer chemotherapy. The company is also developing ZYNRELEF, a dual-acting local anesthetic that delivers a fixed-dose combination of the local anesthetic bupivacaine and a low dose of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam; and APONVIE, an intravenous formulation of a substance P/neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist indicated for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in adults. The company was formerly known as A.P. Pharma, Inc. and changed its name to Heron Therapeutics, Inc. in January 2014. Heron Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.