Acurx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACXP) versus Fortress Biotech (NASDAQ:FBIO) Head to Head Survey

Fortress Biotech (NASDAQ:FBIO) and Acurx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACXP) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Fortress Biotech and Acurx Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Fortress Biotech	163.32%	83.47%	42.98%
Acurx Pharmaceuticals	N/A	-124.73%	-87.48%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Fortress Biotech and Acurx Pharmaceuticals”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Fortress Biotech	$68.47 million	1.32	$6.82 million	$2.64	1.03
Acurx Pharmaceuticals	N/A	N/A	-$7.97 million	($2.69)	-0.53

Fortress Biotech has higher revenue and earnings than Acurx Pharmaceuticals. Acurx Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Fortress Biotech, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk and Volatility

Fortress Biotech has a beta of 1.19, suggesting that its stock price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Acurx Pharmaceuticals has a beta of -2.02, suggesting that its stock price is 302% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Fortress Biotech and Acurx Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Fortress Biotech	1	1	2	0	2.25
Acurx Pharmaceuticals	1	0	1	0	2.00

Fortress Biotech presently has a consensus price target of $17.00, suggesting a potential upside of 525.00%. Acurx Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $31.00, suggesting a potential upside of 2,083.10%. Given Acurx Pharmaceuticals’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Acurx Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Fortress Biotech.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

96.5% of Fortress Biotech shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 11.5% of Acurx Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. 28.5% of Fortress Biotech shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 6.5% of Acurx 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.

Summary

Fortress Biotech beats Acurx Pharmaceuticals on 12 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Fortress Biotech

Fortress Biotech, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops dermatology, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology products in the United States. The company markets dermatology products, such as Qbrexza a medicated cloth towelette for the treatment of primary axillary hyperhidrosis; Accutane capsules for severe recalcitrant nodular acne; Amzeeq for severe acne vulgaris; Zilxi, a topical foam; Exelderm cream and solution for topical use; Targadox an oral doxycycline drug for adjunctive therapy for severe acne; Luxamend; sulconazole nitrate cream and solution for tinea cruris and tinea corporis; and doxycycline hyclate tablet. It also develops late stage product candidates, such as intravenous Tramadol for the treatment of post-operative acute pain; CUTX-101, an injection for the treatment of Menkes disease; Cosibelimab for metastatic cancers; Olafertinib for the treatment of patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC; CAEL-101 for the treatment of amyloid light chain amyloidosis; Triplex vaccine for cytomegalovirus; and DFD-29 for the treatment of rosacea. The company’s early stage product candidates include Dotinurad for gout; MB-106 for B-cell non-hodgkin lymphoma; MB-101 for glioblastoma; MB-108 for recurrent GBM; MB-109 for refractory glioblastoma; AJ201, an androgen receptor degradation enhancer; BAER-101, a positive allosteric modulator; MB-117 for newly diagnosed x-linked severe combined immunodeficiency; and MB217 for previously transplanted; and MB-110 for RAG1 severe combined immunodeficiency. Its preclinical product candidates comprise Mayo Clinic In Vivo CAR T Platform Technology; AAV-ATP7A gene therapy; AVTS-001 gene therapy; CK-103 BET inhibitor; CEVA-D and CEVA-102; CK-302, an anti-GITR; CK-303, an anti-CAIX; and oligonucleotide platform. The company was formerly known as Coronado Biosciences, Inc. and changed its name to Fortress Biotech, Inc. in April 2015. Fortress Biotech, Inc. was incorporated in 2006 and is based in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida.

About Acurx Pharmaceuticals

Acurx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, develops antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. The company's lead antibiotic candidate is ibezapolstat, a novel mechanism of action that targets the polymerase IIIC enzyme that is in Phase 2b clinical trial to treat patients with clostridium difficile infections. It also develops ACX-375C, a potential oral and parenteral treatment targeting gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, and penicillin-resistant streptococcus pneumonia. Acurx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in Staten Island, New York.