Reviewing MetaVia (NASDAQ:MTVA) & RenovoRx (NASDAQ:RNXT)

RenovoRx (NASDAQ:RNXT) and MetaVia (NASDAQ:MTVA) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, profitability, earnings and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares RenovoRx and MetaVia’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
RenovoRx	-1,196.66%	-122.19%	-90.69%
MetaVia	N/A	-229.48%	-105.28%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares RenovoRx and MetaVia”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
RenovoRx	$40,000.00	836.35	-$8.81 million	($0.36)	-2.54
MetaVia	N/A	N/A	-$27.59 million	($8.36)	-0.19

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

3.1% of RenovoRx shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.4% of MetaVia shares are held by institutional investors. 9.1% of RenovoRx shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of MetaVia shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

RenovoRx has a beta of 1.31, meaning that its stock price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MetaVia has a beta of 0.28, meaning that its stock price is 72% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for RenovoRx and MetaVia, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
RenovoRx	1	0	2	1	2.75
MetaVia	1	0	2	0	2.33

RenovoRx presently has a consensus price target of $8.00, indicating a potential upside of 776.42%. MetaVia has a consensus price target of $36.50, indicating a potential upside of 2,254.84%. Given MetaVia’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe MetaVia is more favorable than RenovoRx.

Summary

RenovoRx beats MetaVia on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About RenovoRx

RenovoRx, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing proprietary targeted combination therapies to improve therapeutic outcomes for cancer patients undergoing treatment. Its lead product candidate is RenovoGem, an oncology drug-device combination product, consisting of intra-arterial gemcitabine and RenovoCath that is in Phase III clinical trials for the locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The company has a research collaboration with Imugene Limited to deliver oncolytic virus therapy for the treatment of difficult-to-access tumors. RenovoRx, Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Los Altos, California.

About MetaVia

MetaVia Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on transforming cardiometabolic diseases. MetaVia Inc., formerly known as NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals Inc., is based in CAMBRIDGE, Mass.