Zevra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ZVRA – Get Free Report) and Salarius Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SLRX – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, valuation, dividends and risk.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
35.0% of Zevra Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 11.9% of Salarius Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. 2.4% of Zevra Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Salarius Pharmaceuticals shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Zevra Therapeutics and Salarius Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Zevra Therapeutics | 41.93% | -51.40% | -19.40% |
| Salarius Pharmaceuticals | N/A | -401.05% | -155.77% |
Analyst Recommendations
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Zevra Therapeutics | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2.63 |
| Salarius Pharmaceuticals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Zevra Therapeutics currently has a consensus target price of $22.80, suggesting a potential upside of 161.02%. Given Zevra Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Zevra Therapeutics is more favorable than Salarius Pharmaceuticals.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Zevra Therapeutics and Salarius Pharmaceuticals”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Zevra Therapeutics | $23.61 million | 20.83 | -$105.51 million | $0.47 | 18.59 |
| Salarius Pharmaceuticals | N/A | N/A | -$5.58 million | ($33.89) | -0.02 |
Salarius Pharmaceuticals has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Zevra Therapeutics. Salarius Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Zevra Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk and Volatility
Zevra Therapeutics has a beta of 1.01, suggesting that its share price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Salarius Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its share price is 60% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Zevra Therapeutics beats Salarius Pharmaceuticals on 12 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Zevra Therapeutics
Zevra Therapeutics, Inc. discovers and develops various proprietary prodrugs to treat serious medical conditions in the United States. The company develops its products through Ligand Activated Therapy platform. Its lead product candidate is KP1077, consisting of KP1077IH, which is under Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of idiopathic hypersomnia, and KP1077N, which is under Phase ½ clinical trial to treat narcolepsy. The company is also developing Celiprolol, a prodrug product candidate that is under Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of vascular Ehlers Danlos syndrome. In addition, it offers AZSTARYS, a once-daily treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in patients aged six years and older; OLPRUVA to treat urea cycle disorders; and Arimoclomol for the treatment of niemann pick disease type C, an ultra-rare neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder. The company has collaboration and license agreement with Commave Therapeutics SA to develop, manufacture and commercialize the company’s product candidates containing SDX and d-methylphenidate; and license agreement with Acer and Relief Therapeutics, Inc. to develop and commercialize rights for OLPRUVA. The company was formerly known as KemPharm, Inc. and changed its name to Zevra Therapeutics, Inc. in February 2023. Zevra Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Celebration, Florida.
About Salarius Pharmaceuticals
Salarius Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on developing treatments for cancers with unmet medical need. Its lead candidate is Seclidemstat (SP-2577), a small molecular inhibitor which is in Phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of advanced solid tumors, as well as Ewing sarcoma. The company also offers SP-3164, a small molecular protein degrader for the treatment of hematological and solid tumors. It has a strategic partnership with The University of Utah Research Foundation for the exclusive license with respect to patent rights protecting SP-2577 and related compounds and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas for product development activities. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
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