Critical Review: Vaxxinity (NASDAQ:VAXX) vs. Virpax Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRPX)

Vaxxinity (NASDAQ:VAXX) and Virpax Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRPX) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and valuation.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

82.9% of Vaxxinity shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.2% of Virpax Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. 64.1% of Vaxxinity shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of Virpax Pharmaceuticals shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Vaxxinity and Virpax Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vaxxinity	0	0	0	0	0.00
Virpax Pharmaceuticals	0	1	0	0	2.00

Virpax Pharmaceuticals has a consensus target price of $75.00, indicating a potential upside of 19,180.21%. Given Virpax Pharmaceuticals’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Virpax Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Vaxxinity.

Profitability

This table compares Vaxxinity and Virpax Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vaxxinity	N/A	N/A	N/A
Virpax Pharmaceuticals	N/A	-1,554.34%	-338.29%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Vaxxinity and Virpax Pharmaceuticals”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vaxxinity	N/A	N/A	-$56.93 million	($0.45)	-0.07
Virpax Pharmaceuticals	N/A	N/A	-$15.19 million	N/A	N/A

Risk & Volatility

Vaxxinity has a beta of -23.96, meaning that its share price is 2,496% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Virpax Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 1.58, meaning that its share price is 58% more volatile than the S&P 500.

About Vaxxinity

Vaxxinity, Inc., a biotechnology company, focuses on developing product candidates for human use in the fields of neurology, cardiovascular diseases, and coronaviruses in the United States. Its product pipeline comprises UB-311, which is in phase 2 clinical trial that targets toxic forms of aggregated amyloid-b in the brain to fight alzheimer's disease; UB-312, which is in phase 1 clinical trial that targets toxic forms of aggregated a-synuclein in the brain to fight parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies, such as Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy; and VXX-301, which is in preclinical trial, an anti-tau product candidate for various neurodegenerative conditions, including alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. It also develops VXX-401, which is phase 1 clinical trial that targets proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 serine protease to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiac events; UB-313 that targets calcitonin gene-related peptide to fight migraines; and UB-612, neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is in phase 3 clinical trial. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is headquartered in Merritt Island, Florida.

About Virpax Pharmaceuticals

Virpax Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a preclinical-stage pharmaceutical company, develops various drug-delivery systems and drug-releasing technologies focused on advancing non-opioid and non-addictive pain management treatments and treatments for central nervous system disorders. Its preclinical stage product candidates include Epoladerm, a topical spray film delivery technology for osteoarthritis pain; Probudur, an injectable local anesthetic liposomal gel technology for postoperative pain management; and Envelta, a nanotechnology-based intranasal spray drug product candidate that enables the delivery of a metabolically labile peptide drug into the brain. The company's preclinical stage product candidates also comprise AnQlar, an anti-viral barrier to prevent or reduce the risk or the intensity of viral infections in humans, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2; and NobrXiol, an investigational formulation to be delivered via the nasal route to enhance cannabidiol transport to the brain. Virpax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania.