Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) vs. Acerus Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:ASPCF) Head to Head Contrast

Acerus Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:ASPCF) and Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Acerus Pharmaceuticals and Aquestive Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	-924.33%	N/A	-74.62%
Aquestive Therapeutics	-44.07%	N/A	-28.26%

Risk & Volatility

Acerus Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aquestive Therapeutics has a beta of 2.84, suggesting that its share price is 184% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Acerus Pharmaceuticals and Aquestive Therapeutics”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	$2.12 million	0.80	-$33.82 million	($3.57)	-0.06
Aquestive Therapeutics	$58.36 million	7.30	-$7.87 million	($0.42)	-11.14

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

32.5% of Aquestive Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 7.9% of Aquestive Therapeutics shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for Acerus Pharmaceuticals and Aquestive Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	0	0	0	0	N/A
Aquestive Therapeutics	0	0	6	1	3.14

Aquestive Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $8.67, indicating a potential upside of 85.19%. Given Aquestive Therapeutics’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Aquestive Therapeutics is more favorable than Acerus Pharmaceuticals.

Summary

Aquestive Therapeutics beats Acerus Pharmaceuticals on 12 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Acerus Pharmaceuticals

Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corp. is a pharmaceutical company. The firm is focused on the commercialization and development of prescription products that improve patient experience, with a focus in the field of men’s health. It focuses on therapeutics for urology, andrology, and endocrinology. Its products include Estrace and Natesto. The company was founded by Bruce D. Brydon, Rolf K. Reininghaus and Mark L. Thompson on September 9, 2008 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.

About Aquestive Therapeutics

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. operates as a pharmaceutical company in the United States and internationally. The company markets Sympazan, an oral soluble film formulation of clobazam for the treatment of lennox-gastaut syndrome; Suboxone, a sublingual film formulation of buprenorphine and naloxone for the treatment of opioid dependence; Zuplenz, an oral soluble film formulation of ondansetron for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and post-operative recovery; and Azstarys, a once-daily product for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Its proprietary product candidates comprise Libervant, a buccal soluble film formulation of diazepam for the treatment of seizures; KYNMOBI, a sublingual film formulation of apomorphine for the treatment of episodic off-periods in Parkinson's disease; and Exservan, an oral soluble film formulation of riluzole for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The company's proprietary pipeline of complex molecule product includes AQST-108, a sublingual film formulation delivering systemic epinephrine for the treatment of conditions other than anaphylaxis; and Anaphylm, an epinephrine sublingual film for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. In addition, it develops Adrenaverse, an epinephrine prodrug platform. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Warren, New Jersey.