Avenue Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ATXI) versus AEON Biopharma (NASDAQ:AEON) Financial Analysis

Avenue Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ATXI) and AEON Biopharma (NASDAQ:AEON) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and dividends.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

17.3% of Avenue Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 22.8% of AEON Biopharma shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of Avenue Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of AEON Biopharma shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations for Avenue Therapeutics and AEON Biopharma, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Avenue Therapeutics	0	0	0	0	0.00
AEON Biopharma	0	0	1	0	3.00

Profitability

This table compares Avenue Therapeutics and AEON Biopharma’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Avenue Therapeutics	N/A	-471.57%	-296.50%
AEON Biopharma	N/A	N/A	-994.63%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Avenue Therapeutics and AEON Biopharma”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Avenue Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-$10.38 million	($0.95)	-0.75
AEON Biopharma	N/A	N/A	-$36.63 million	($6.08)	-0.18

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

Volatility & Risk

Avenue Therapeutics has a beta of 0.04, suggesting that its share price is 96% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AEON Biopharma has a beta of 0.74, suggesting that its share price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

AEON Biopharma beats Avenue Therapeutics on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Avenue Therapeutics

Avenue Therapeutics, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of neurologic diseases. Its product candidates include AJ201, which is in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial for the treatment of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy; intravenous tramadol for the treatment of post-operative acute pain; and BAER-101 for the treatment of epilepsy and panic disorders. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is based in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida.

About AEON Biopharma

AEON Biopharma, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing botulinum toxins. It develops ABP-450 (prabotulinumtoxinA) injection for debilitating medical conditions, which completed Phase 2 study for the treatment of cervical dystonia and has an ongoing Phase 2 study for the treatment of both chronic and episodic migraine, as well as develops ABP-450 for the treatment of gastroparesis and posttraumatic stress disorder. The company is based in Irvine, California.