Comparing Whitehawk Therapeutics (NASDAQ:WHWK) & Acerus Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:TRLPF)

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

Profitability

This table compares Acerus Pharmaceuticals and Whitehawk Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	-254.66%	-346.72%	-94.54%
Whitehawk Therapeutics	99.42%	-68.32%	-63.21%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Acerus Pharmaceuticals and Whitehawk Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	0	0	0	0	0.00
Whitehawk Therapeutics	1	1	0	0	1.50

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Acerus Pharmaceuticals and Whitehawk Therapeutics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	$7.38 million	7.71	-$18.79 million	($0.08)	-2.75
Whitehawk Therapeutics	$25.98 million	4.64	-$63.69 million	$0.14	18.29

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

Risk and Volatility

Acerus Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 2.6, suggesting that its stock price is 160% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Whitehawk Therapeutics has a beta of 0.38, suggesting that its stock price is 62% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.0% of Acerus Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.1% of Whitehawk Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 49.9% of Whitehawk Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Whitehawk Therapeutics beats Acerus Pharmaceuticals on 9 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Acerus Pharmaceuticals

Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a specialty pharmaceutical company, focuses on the development, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of pharmaceutical products for men's and women's health. The company offers Natesto, a nasal gel for testosterone replacement therapy in adult males diagnosed with hypogonadism; Estrace, an oral tablet for the symptomatic relief of menopausal symptoms; and UriVarx, a natural health product that helps reduce symptoms of hyperactive bladder, such as daytime urinary frequency, urgency, and nocturia. It also engages in developing Lidbree, a short acting lidocaine formulation delivered through a proprietary device into the vaginal mucosal tissue; Stendra, a PDE5 inhibitor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction; Elegant vaginal moisturizer, which provides comfort to women suffering from vaginal dryness; and Elegant pH, a pH balanced vaginal product; Gynoflor, an ultra-low dose vaginal estrogen combined with a probiotic for the treatment of vaginal atrophy, restoration of vaginal flora, and treatment of certain vaginal infections; and Tefina, a clinical stage product for women with female sexual dysfunction. Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation sells products through its salesforce in Canada; and through a network of licensed distributors in the United States and internationally. The company was formerly known as Trimel Pharmaceuticals Corporation and changed its name to Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation in September 2015. Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.

About Whitehawk Therapeutics

Aadi Bioscience, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in developing and commercializing precision therapies for genetically defined cancers with alterations in mTOR pathway genes. Its lead drug candidate, FYARRO is a form of sirolimus bound to albumin. Aadi is evaluating FYARRO in cancers with known mTOR pathway activation, including tumor agnostic indications targeting specific genomic alterations that activate the mTOR pathway. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Pacific Palisades, California.