Geron (NASDAQ:GERN) versus Dermata Therapeutics (NASDAQ:DRMA) Head-To-Head Comparison

Geron (NASDAQ:GERN) and Dermata Therapeutics (NASDAQ:DRMA) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, earnings, risk and institutional ownership.

Risk & Volatility

Geron has a beta of 0.53, meaning that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Dermata Therapeutics has a beta of 0.65, meaning that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Geron and Dermata Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Geron	-682.48%	-67.53%	-45.46%
Dermata Therapeutics	N/A	-247.39%	-179.72%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

73.7% of Geron shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 8.7% of Dermata Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.1% of Geron shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.4% of Dermata Therapeutics shares are owned 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.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Geron and Dermata Therapeutics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Geron	$76.99 million	14.31	-$184.13 million	($0.27)	-6.41
Dermata Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-$7.80 million	($16.41)	-0.07

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Geron and Dermata Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Geron	0	3	8	1	2.83
Dermata Therapeutics	0	0	1	0	3.00

Geron presently has a consensus price target of $5.68, indicating a potential upside of 228.43%. Dermata Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $6.00, indicating a potential upside of 395.87%. Given Dermata Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Dermata Therapeutics is more favorable than Geron.

About Geron

Geron Corporation, a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for myeloid hematologic malignancies. It develops imetelstat, a telomerase inhibitor that is in Phase 3 clinical trials, which inhibits the uncontrolled proliferation of malignant stem and progenitor cells in myeloid hematologic malignancies for the treatment of low or intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes and intermediate-2 or high-risk myelofibrosis. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Foster City, California.

About Dermata Therapeutics

Dermata Therapeutics, Inc., a late-stage medical dermatology company, focuses on identifying, developing, and commercializing pharmaceutical product candidates for the treatment of medical and aesthetic skin conditions and diseases. The company's lead product candidate is DMT310, which has completed Phase IIb clinical trial for treatment of moderate-to-severe acne; and Phase Ib proof of concept (POC) trial for Mild-to-Moderate Psoriasis, as well as is in a Phase 2 clinical trial for treatment of moderate-to-severe rosacea. It is also developing DMT410 that has completed Phase Ib POC trials for the treatment of anxillary hyperhidrosis and aesthetic conditions. Dermata Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.