Virios Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VIRI) versus Antibe Therapeutics (OTCMKTS:ATBPF) Critical Analysis

Antibe Therapeutics (OTCMKTS:ATBPF) and Virios Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VIRI) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Risk and Volatility

Antibe Therapeutics has a beta of 0.51, suggesting that its stock price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Virios Therapeutics has a beta of 1.58, suggesting that its stock price is 58% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Antibe Therapeutics and Virios Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Antibe Therapeutics	N/A	-56.48%	-29.07%
Virios Therapeutics	N/A	-130.33%	-115.00%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

9.1% of Virios Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.0% of Antibe Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 12.2% of Virios Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Antibe Therapeutics and Virios Therapeutics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Antibe Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-$14.73 million	($0.25)	-0.86
Virios Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-$5.30 million	($0.27)	-17.85

Virios Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Antibe Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Antibe Therapeutics and Virios Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Antibe Therapeutics	0	0	0	0	0.00
Virios Therapeutics	0	1	0	0	2.00

Virios Therapeutics has a consensus target price of $5.00, indicating a potential upside of 3.73%. Given Virios Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Virios Therapeutics is more favorable than Antibe Therapeutics.

Summary

Virios Therapeutics beats Antibe Therapeutics on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Antibe Therapeutics

Antibe Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in developing novel therapeutics and medical devices in the areas of pain, inflammation and regenerative medicine in Canada, Europe, the United States, and internationally. The company's pipeline includes therapies that seek to overcome the gastrointestinal (GI) ulcers and bleeding associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Its lead compound is Otenaproxesul, an NSAID that releases hydrogen sulfide for treating post-operative pain, migraine, acute musculoskeletal pain, dysmenorrhea, gout, and dental pain. In addition, its products comprise ATB-352, which is in preclinical stage for acute pain. The company was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

About Virios Therapeutics

Virios Therapeutics, Inc., a development-stage biotechnology company, focuses on developing novel antiviral therapies to treat diseases associated with a viral triggered abnormal immune response. The company's lead development candidate is the IMC-1, a fixed dose combination of famciclovir and celecoxib to treat fibromyalgia. It also develops IMC-2, a combination of valacyclovir and celecoxib for the treatment of managing the fatigue, sleep, attention, pain, autonomic function, and anxiety associated with long COVID. The company was formerly known as Innovative Med Concepts, LLC and changed its name to Virios Therapeutics, Inc. in July 2020. The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.