Head-To-Head Contrast: Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) & Oruka Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ORKA)

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

Volatility & Risk

Aquestive Therapeutics has a beta of 1.79, indicating that its stock price is 79% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Oruka Therapeutics has a beta of -0.3, indicating that its stock price is 130% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Aquestive Therapeutics and Oruka Therapeutics”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Aquestive Therapeutics	$57.56 million	12.91	-$44.14 million	($0.71)	-8.58
Oruka Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-$83.72 million	($1.90)	-16.06

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Aquestive Therapeutics and Oruka Therapeutics, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Aquestive Therapeutics	1	0	8	2	3.00
Oruka Therapeutics	1	0	6	1	2.88

Aquestive Therapeutics currently has a consensus price target of $10.00, indicating a potential upside of 64.20%. Oruka Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $45.14, indicating a potential upside of 47.91%. Given Aquestive Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Aquestive Therapeutics is more favorable than Oruka Therapeutics.

Profitability

This table compares Aquestive Therapeutics and Oruka Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Aquestive Therapeutics	-158.95%	N/A	-59.86%
Oruka Therapeutics	N/A	-26.26%	-24.16%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

32.5% of Aquestive Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.4% of Oruka Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.9% of Aquestive Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 24.7% of Oruka Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Aquestive Therapeutics beats Oruka Therapeutics on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Aquestive Therapeutics

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. operates as a pharmaceutical company in the United States and internationally. The company markets Sympazan, an oral soluble film formulation of clobazam for the treatment of lennox-gastaut syndrome; Suboxone, a sublingual film formulation of buprenorphine and naloxone for the treatment of opioid dependence; Zuplenz, an oral soluble film formulation of ondansetron for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and post-operative recovery; and Azstarys, a once-daily product for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Its proprietary product candidates comprise Libervant, a buccal soluble film formulation of diazepam for the treatment of seizures; KYNMOBI, a sublingual film formulation of apomorphine for the treatment of episodic off-periods in Parkinson's disease; and Exservan, an oral soluble film formulation of riluzole for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The company's proprietary pipeline of complex molecule product includes AQST-108, a sublingual film formulation delivering systemic epinephrine for the treatment of conditions other than anaphylaxis; and Anaphylm, an epinephrine sublingual film for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. In addition, it develops Adrenaverse, an epinephrine prodrug platform. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Warren, New Jersey.

About Oruka Therapeutics

Oruka Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company, which focuses on developing novel monoclonal antibody therapeutics for PsO and other I&I indications. Its pipeline includes ORKA-001 and ORKA-002. The company is headquartered in Menlo Park, CA.