Head to Head Analysis: Minerva Neurosciences (NASDAQ:NERV) and SciSparc (NASDAQ:SPRC)

Minerva Neurosciences (NASDAQ:NERV) and SciSparc (NASDAQ:SPRC) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

34.6% of Minerva Neurosciences shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 25.1% of SciSparc shares are held by institutional investors. 8.6% of Minerva Neurosciences shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of SciSparc shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Minerva Neurosciences and SciSparc’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Minerva Neurosciences	N/A	N/A	-6.74%
SciSparc	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Minerva Neurosciences and SciSparc”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Minerva Neurosciences	N/A	N/A	-$30.00 million	($0.44)	-4.92
SciSparc	$2.88 million	2.15	-$5.12 million	N/A	N/A

SciSparc has higher revenue and earnings than Minerva Neurosciences.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Minerva Neurosciences and SciSparc, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Minerva Neurosciences	0	1	0	0	2.00
SciSparc	0	0	0	0	0.00

Minerva Neurosciences currently has a consensus price target of $5.00, indicating a potential upside of 130.95%. Given Minerva Neurosciences’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Minerva Neurosciences is more favorable than SciSparc.

Risk and Volatility

Minerva Neurosciences has a beta of 0.11, suggesting that its stock price is 89% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SciSparc has a beta of 0.47, suggesting that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500.

About Minerva Neurosciences

Minerva Neurosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of product candidates for the treatment of central nervous system diseases. Its lead product candidate is roluperidone (MIN-101) for the treatment of negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, currently submitted an New Drug Application (NDA); and MIN-301, a soluble recombinant form of the neuregulin-1b1 protein for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The company has a license agreement with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation to develop, sell, and import roluperidone globally excluding Asia. Minerva Neurosciences, Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Burlington, Massachusetts.

About SciSparc

SciSparc Ltd., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, develops drugs based on cannabinoid therapies. Its drug development programs include SCI-110 for the treatment of Tourette syndrome and Alzheimer's disease and agitation; SCI-160 for the treatment of pain; SCI-210 for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and status epilepticus; and CannAmide, an anti-inflammatory and chronic pain solution. The company has an agreement with Procaps to develop and commercially manufacture SCI-110 and CannAmide, a palmitoylethanolamide oral tablet in softgel capsule form. It also has an agreement with The Israeli Medical Center for Alzheimer's to conduct a phase IIa clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of SCI-110 in patients with Alzheimer's disease and agitation; and a collaboration with Clearmind Medicine Inc. The company was formerly known as Therapix Biosciences Ltd. and changed its name to SciSparc Ltd. in January 2021. SciSparc Ltd. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.