Analyzing Aridis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARDS) and Cartesian Therapeutics (NASDAQ:RNAC)

Aridis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARDS) and Cartesian Therapeutics (NASDAQ:RNAC) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Aridis Pharmaceuticals and Cartesian Therapeutics’ gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Aridis Pharmaceuticals	$3.09 million	1.22	-$30.37 million	($0.16)	-0.49
Cartesian Therapeutics	$26.00 million	15.61	-$219.71 million	N/A	N/A

Aridis Pharmaceuticals has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Cartesian Therapeutics.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

9.7% of Aridis Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.0% of Cartesian Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 5.5% of Aridis Pharmaceuticals shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 61.1% of Cartesian Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Aridis Pharmaceuticals and Cartesian Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Aridis Pharmaceuticals	-5.11%	N/A	-20.47%
Cartesian Therapeutics	-983.93%	-58.21%	-18.77%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Aridis Pharmaceuticals and Cartesian Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Aridis Pharmaceuticals	0	0	1	0	3.00
Cartesian Therapeutics	0	0	6	0	3.00

Aridis Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus price target of $2.00, suggesting a potential upside of 2,438.07%. Cartesian Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $45.00, suggesting a potential upside of 97.37%. Given Aridis Pharmaceuticals’ higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Aridis Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Cartesian Therapeutics.

Risk and Volatility

Aridis Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 1.14, meaning that its share price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cartesian Therapeutics has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Cartesian Therapeutics beats Aridis Pharmaceuticals on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Aridis Pharmaceuticals

Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers and develops targeted immunotherapy using fully human monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to treat life-threatening infections. Its lead product candidate is AR-301, a fully human mAb of immunoglobulin 1 (IgG1) that has completed Phase III pivotal trials for the treatment of lung infections resulting from S. aureus alphatoxin, as well as developing AR-301 as an adjunctive therapy with SOC antibiotics to treat hospital acquired pneumonia and ventilator associated pneumonia. The company is also developing AR-320, a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting S. aureus alpha toxin to treat infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus; AR 501, an inhaled gallium citrate, which is in Phase 1/2a for the treatment of chronic lung infection associated with cystic fibrosis; and AR-101, a human IgM mAb, which is in Phase II clinical trials targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa liposaccharides serotype O11. In addition, it develops AR-401 that is in preclinical stage to treat infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii; AR-201, a fully human IgG1 mAb preclinical program for respiratory syncytial virus; and AR-701, a cocktail of two fully human immunoglobulin 1. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California.

About Cartesian Therapeutics

Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, engages in the provision of mRNA cell therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. It develops Descartes-08, an autologous anti-BCMA RNA-engineered chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, currently under Phase 2b clinical development for generalized myasthenia gravis, as well as for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and myeloma autoimmune basket trials for other autoimmune diseases. The company develops Descartes-15 to treat Autoimmune diseases, myeloma; and Descartes-33 which is in preclinical development for treatment of autoimmune diseases. Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc. is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland.