Rubius Therapeutics (NASDAQ:RUBY) versus Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS) Head to Head Review

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

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Tarsus Pharmaceuticals and Rubius Therapeutics’ gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals	$25.82 million	20.40	-$62.09 million	($3.38)	-4.78
Rubius Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-$179.67 million	($2.38)	-0.01

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals has higher revenue and earnings than Rubius Therapeutics. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Rubius Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Tarsus Pharmaceuticals and Rubius Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals	N/A	-50.76%	-42.08%
Rubius Therapeutics	N/A	-212.29%	-86.74%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

70.0% of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.5% of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.3% of Rubius Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.76, indicating that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Rubius Therapeutics has a beta of 2.34, indicating that its stock price is 134% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Tarsus Pharmaceuticals and Rubius Therapeutics, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals	0	0	3	0	3.00
Rubius Therapeutics	0	1	0	0	2.00

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus target price of $45.80, indicating a potential upside of 183.59%. Given Tarsus Pharmaceuticals’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Rubius Therapeutics.

Summary

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals beats Rubius Therapeutics on 9 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic candidates for ophthalmic conditions. Its lead product candidate is TP-03, a novel therapeutic for the treatment of blepharitis caused by the infestation of Demodex mites, as well as to treat meibomian gland disease. The company is also developing TP-04 for the treatment of rosacea; and TP-05 for Lyme prophylaxis and community malaria reduction. In addition, the company develops lotilaner to address diseases across therapeutic categories in human medicine, including eye care, dermatology, and other diseases. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

About Rubius Therapeutics

Rubius Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of red cell therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company was formerly known as VL26, Inc and as changed its name to Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. in 2015. Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2013 and is based in Foxborough, Massachusetts.