Contrasting Acerus Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:TRLPF) and Palatin Technologies (PINK:PTNT)

Palatin Technologies (PINK:PTNT) and Acerus Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:TRLPF) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, risk and earnings.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Palatin Technologies and Acerus Pharmaceuticals”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Palatin Technologies	$4.49 million	32.44	-$29.74 million	($1.55)	-3.61
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	$7.38 million	7.71	-$18.79 million	($0.08)	-2.75

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

Profitability

This table compares Palatin Technologies and Acerus Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Palatin Technologies	N/A	N/A	-365.57%
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	-254.66%	-346.72%	-94.54%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Palatin Technologies and Acerus Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Palatin Technologies	0	0	1	0	3.00
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	0	0	0	0	0.00

Palatin Technologies currently has a consensus target price of $350.00, suggesting a potential upside of 6,150.00%. Given Palatin Technologies’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Palatin Technologies is more favorable than Acerus Pharmaceuticals.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

11.5% of Palatin Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of Acerus Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.1% of Palatin Technologies shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

Palatin Technologies has a beta of 0.87, indicating that its stock price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Acerus Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 2.6, indicating that its stock price is 160% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Palatin Technologies beats Acerus Pharmaceuticals on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Palatin Technologies

Palatin Technologies, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops targeted receptor-specific therapeutics for the treatment of various diseases in the United States. The company's lead product is Vyleesi, a melanocortin receptor (MCr) agonist for the treatment of premenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. It is also developing oral PL8177, a selective MC1r agonist peptide that is in Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. In addition, the company engages in the development of PL9643, a peptide melanocortin agonist active at multiple MCrs, including MC1r and MC5r for anti-inflammatory ocular indications, such as dry eye disease, which is in Phase 3 clinical trial; and melanocortin peptides for diabetic retinopathy. Further, it is developing PL8177, an oral peptide formulation for treatment of ulcerative colitis, which entered Phase 2 clinical trials. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Cranbury, New Jersey.

About Acerus Pharmaceuticals

Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a specialty pharmaceutical company, focuses on the development, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of pharmaceutical products for men's and women's health. The company offers Natesto, a nasal gel for testosterone replacement therapy in adult males diagnosed with hypogonadism; Estrace, an oral tablet for the symptomatic relief of menopausal symptoms; and UriVarx, a natural health product that helps reduce symptoms of hyperactive bladder, such as daytime urinary frequency, urgency, and nocturia. It also engages in developing Lidbree, a short acting lidocaine formulation delivered through a proprietary device into the vaginal mucosal tissue; Stendra, a PDE5 inhibitor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction; Elegant vaginal moisturizer, which provides comfort to women suffering from vaginal dryness; and Elegant pH, a pH balanced vaginal product; Gynoflor, an ultra-low dose vaginal estrogen combined with a probiotic for the treatment of vaginal atrophy, restoration of vaginal flora, and treatment of certain vaginal infections; and Tefina, a clinical stage product for women with female sexual dysfunction. Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation sells products through its salesforce in Canada; and through a network of licensed distributors in the United States and internationally. The company was formerly known as Trimel Pharmaceuticals Corporation and changed its name to Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation in September 2015. Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.