Plus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PSTV) vs. Atrion (NASDAQ:ATRI) Critical Analysis

Plus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PSTV) and Atrion (NASDAQ:ATRI) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, earnings and profitability.

Risk and Volatility

Plus Therapeutics has a beta of 0.55, suggesting that its stock price is 45% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Atrion has a beta of 0.62, suggesting that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Plus Therapeutics and Atrion’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Plus Therapeutics	-193.49%	-805.57%	-105.85%
Atrion	10.60%	7.75%	7.12%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Plus Therapeutics and Atrion’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Plus Therapeutics	$4.91 million	2.51	-$13.32 million	($3.04)	-0.71
Atrion	$169.33 million	4.82	$19.41 million	$10.64	43.61

Atrion has higher revenue and earnings than Plus Therapeutics. Plus Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Atrion, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

3.3% of Plus Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 66.2% of Atrion shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.3% of Plus Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 22.8% of Atrion shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Plus Therapeutics and Atrion, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Plus Therapeutics	0	0	1	0	3.00
Atrion	0	0	0	0	N/A

Plus Therapeutics presently has a consensus target price of $8.00, suggesting a potential upside of 270.37%. Given Plus Therapeutics’ higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Plus Therapeutics is more favorable than Atrion.

Summary

Atrion beats Plus Therapeutics on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Plus Therapeutics

Plus Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, focuses on the development, manufacture, and commercialization of treatments for patients with cancer. Its lead radiotherapeutic drug candidate is rhenium (186Re) obisbemeda, a patented radiotherapy that targets central nervous system cancers and other cancers, including recurrent glioblastoma, leptomeningeal metastases, and pediatric brain cancers. The company also develops Rhenium-188 NanoLiposome Biodegradable Alginate Microsphere that is designed to treat various solid organ cancers comprising primary and secondary liver cancers by intra-arterial injection. It has license agreements with NanoTx, Corp. and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The company was formerly known as Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. and changed its name to Plus Therapeutics, Inc. in July 2019. Plus Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

About Atrion

Atrion Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells products for fluid delivery, cardiovascular, and ophthalmic applications in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company's fluid delivery products include valves that fill, hold, and release controlled amounts of fluids or gasses for use in various intubation, intravenous, catheter, and other applications in the anesthesia and oncology fields, as well as promote infection control in hospital and home healthcare environments. Its cardiovascular products comprise Myocardial Protection System that delivers fluids and medications, and mixes critical drugs, as well as controls temperature, pressure, and other variables; cardiac surgery vacuum relief valves; silicone vessel loops for retracting and occluding vessels; and inflation devices for balloon catheter dilation, stent deployment, and fluid dispensing, as well as products for use in heart bypass surgery. The company's ophthalmic products consist of a line of balloon catheters, which are used for the treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction in children and adults. It manufactures products for safe needle and scalpel blade containment; inflation systems and valves used in marine and aviation safety products; components used in inflatable survival products and structures; and one-way and two-way pressure relief valves that protect sensitive electronics and other products during transport in other medical and non-medical applications. The company sells its products to physicians, hospitals, clinics, and other treatment centers; and other equipment manufacturers through direct sales force, independent sales representatives, and distributors. Atrion Corporation was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Allen, Texas.