Nexien BioPharma (OTCMKTS:NXEN) & Ovid Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OVID) Critical Contrast

Nexien BioPharma (OTCMKTS:NXEN) and Ovid Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OVID) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, valuation and profitability.

Risk and Volatility

Nexien BioPharma has a beta of 1.47, meaning that its share price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ovid Therapeutics has a beta of 0.58, meaning that its share price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

72.2% of Ovid Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 30.6% of Nexien BioPharma shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 13.3% of Ovid Therapeutics shares are owned by 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.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Nexien BioPharma and Ovid Therapeutics’ revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Nexien BioPharma	N/A	N/A	-$360,000.00	($0.01)	-1.69
Ovid Therapeutics	$390,000.00	132.13	-$52.34 million	($0.73)	-1.00

Nexien BioPharma has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Ovid Therapeutics. Nexien BioPharma is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ovid Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Nexien BioPharma and Ovid Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Nexien BioPharma	0	0	0	0	N/A
Ovid Therapeutics	0	2	4	0	2.67

Ovid Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $4.70, indicating a potential upside of 547.03%. Given Ovid Therapeutics’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Ovid Therapeutics is more favorable than Nexien BioPharma.

Profitability

This table compares Nexien BioPharma and Ovid Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Nexien BioPharma	N/A	N/A	-1,203.89%
Ovid Therapeutics	-10,691.14%	-53.62%	-37.76%

About Nexien BioPharma

Nexien BioPharma, Inc. focuses on the formulation, development, and commercialization of cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, and related technologies for diseases, disorders, and medical conditions. The company was formerly known as Intiva BioPharma Inc. and changed its name to Nexien BioPharma, Inc. in September 2018. Nexien BioPharma, Inc. is based in Glendale, Colorado.

About Ovid Therapeutics

Ovid Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of impactful medicines for patients and families with epilepsies and seizure-related neurological disorders in the United States. The company is developing soticlestat, a novel cholesterol 24 hydroxylase inhibitor, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the potential treatment of patients with resistant epilepsies; OV329, a GABA aminotransferase inhibitor which is in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex and infantile spasms; and OV350, a small molecule direct activator of the KCC2 transporter, which is in Phase 1 clinical trials for treating epilepsies. It also develops OV815, that focuses on the mutations associated with KIF1A-associated neurological disorder (KAND); OV888 (GV101), a highly selective rock2 inhibitor which is in Phase 1 double-blind multiple-ascending dose trial; OV825, has advanced to potential candidate lead identification for the rare neurodevelopmental condition HNRNPH2 (Bain Syndrome); and OV882, a short hairpin RNA gene therapy for the treatment of Angelman syndrome. The company has license and collaboration agreements with Healx, AstraZeneca AB, H. Lundbeck A/S, Northwestern University, and Graviton, as well as Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in New York, New York.