Moleculin Biotech (NASDAQ:MBRX – Get Free Report) and Equillium (NASDAQ:EQ – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends and risk.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Moleculin Biotech and Equillium”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Moleculin Biotech | N/A | N/A | -$29.77 million | N/A | N/A |
| Equillium | $42.62 million | 0.93 | -$13.34 million | ($0.36) | -3.14 |
Equillium has higher revenue and earnings than Moleculin Biotech.
Risk and Volatility
Insider & Institutional Ownership
15.5% of Moleculin Biotech shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.0% of Equillium shares are held by institutional investors. 6.7% of Moleculin Biotech shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 30.3% of Equillium shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Profitability
This table compares Moleculin Biotech and Equillium’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Moleculin Biotech | N/A | -105.50% | -79.03% |
| Equillium | -19.51% | -36.88% | -17.31% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Moleculin Biotech and Equillium, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Moleculin Biotech | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Equillium | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
Moleculin Biotech currently has a consensus price target of $35.00, indicating a potential upside of 1,246.15%. Equillium has a consensus price target of $5.00, indicating a potential upside of 342.48%. Given Moleculin Biotech’s higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Moleculin Biotech is more favorable than Equillium.
Summary
Equillium beats Moleculin Biotech on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Moleculin Biotech
Moleculin Biotech, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of drug candidates for the treatment of cancers and viruses. Its lead drug candidate is Annamycin, which is in Phase 1B/2 clinical trials for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and soft tissue sarcoma metastasized to the lungs. The company is also developing WP1066, an immune/transcription modulator designed to inhibit phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription and other oncogenic transcription factors targeting brain tumors, and pancreatic and other cancers. In addition, it develops WP1220, an analog of WP1066 for the topical treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; and WP1122 to treat viruses, as well as cancer indications, including brain tumors, and pancreatic and other cancers. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
About Equillium
Equillium, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops and sells products to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory, or immuno-inflammatory disorders with unmet medical need. The company's lead product candidate is itolizumab (EQ001), a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that targets the immune checkpoint receptor CD6, which is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease; completed Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of ulcerative colitis; and Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of lupus nephritis. It also develops EQ101 completed phase 1/2 for treatment of cutaneous T cell lymphoma and alopecia areata; and EQ302 to treat gastrointestinal indications. In addition, it serves dermatology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, hematology, transplant science, oncology, and pulmonology area. The company was formerly known as Attenuate Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. and changed its name to Equillium, Inc. in May 2017. Equillium, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in La Jolla, California.
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