Imunon (NASDAQ:IMNN – Get Free Report) and Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.
Risk and Volatility
Imunon has a beta of 1.94, meaning that its share price is 94% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aura Biosciences has a beta of 0.44, meaning that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Imunon and Aura Biosciences’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Imunon | N/A | -501.10% | -166.84% |
| Aura Biosciences | N/A | -69.67% | -58.15% |
Valuation & Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Imunon | $500,000.00 | 21.37 | -$18.62 million | ($9.68) | -0.36 |
| Aura Biosciences | N/A | N/A | -$86.92 million | ($1.94) | -2.83 |
Imunon has higher revenue and earnings than Aura Biosciences. Aura Biosciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Imunon, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Imunon and Aura Biosciences, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Imunon | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Aura Biosciences | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2.71 |
Imunon currently has a consensus price target of $232.50, suggesting a potential upside of 6,581.03%. Aura Biosciences has a consensus price target of $20.50, suggesting a potential upside of 273.41%. Given Imunon’s higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Imunon is more favorable than Aura Biosciences.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
4.5% of Imunon shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.8% of Aura Biosciences shares are held by institutional investors. 6.0% of Imunon shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.3% of Aura Biosciences shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
Aura Biosciences beats Imunon on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Imunon
Imunon, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, engages in the development of immunotherapies and vaccines to treat cancer and infectious diseases. The company’s lead clinical program IMNN-001, a DNA-based immunotherapy for the localized treatment of ovarian cancer that is in Phase II clinical development. Its preclinical stage products include IMNN-101, a COVID-19 booster vaccine; IMNN-102 for the treatment of Lassa virus; and IMNN-201, a Trp2 tumor associated antigen cancer vaccine in melanoma. In addition, the company develops non-viral DNA technology across four modalities, such as TheraPlas for the coding of proteins and cytokines in the treatment of solid tumors; PlaCCine for the coding of viral antigens that can elicit a strong immunological response; FixPlas for the application of Imunon’s DNA technology to produce universal cancer vaccines; and IndiPlas, which is in the discovery phase for the development of personalized cancer vaccines or neoepitope cancer vaccines. Imunon, Inc. was formerly known as Celsion Corporation and changed its name to Imunon, Inc. in September 2022. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.
About Aura Biosciences
Aura Biosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops precision immunotherapies to treat a range of solid tumors. The company's proprietary platform enables the targeting of a range of solid tumors using virus-like particles conjugated with drugs or loaded with nucleic acids to create virus-like drug conjugates. Its lead candidate is bel-sar, which is in late-stage clinical development for the treatment of patients with primary choroidal melanoma and other ocular oncology indications, as well as in early-stage clinical development in bladder cancer. The company also focuses on assessing the safety and efficacy of bel-sar in treating a range of other solid tumors, including bladder cancer as an alternative to bacillus calmetteguérin therapy. Aura Biosciences, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
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