Comparing Kiora Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KPRX) and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MDGL)

Kiora Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KPRX) and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MDGL) are both medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Kiora Pharmaceuticals and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Kiora Pharmaceuticals	N/A	-36.35%	-25.82%
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals	-39.04%	-41.50%	-26.18%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Kiora Pharmaceuticals and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Kiora Pharmaceuticals	1	1	1	0	2.00
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals	2	2	13	1	2.72

Kiora Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus price target of $10.00, suggesting a potential upside of 367.29%. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $654.73, suggesting a potential upside of 36.12%. Given Kiora Pharmaceuticals’ higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Kiora Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Madrigal Pharmaceuticals.

Valuation & Earnings

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

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Kiora Pharmaceuticals	$16.02 million	0.49	$3.60 million	($2.09)	-1.02
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals	$180.13 million	60.64	-$465.89 million	($13.01)	-36.97

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

Institutional and Insider Ownership

77.0% of Kiora Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.5% of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Kiora Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 21.5% of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Kiora Pharmaceuticals has a beta of -0.82, meaning that its stock price is 182% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals has a beta of -1.01, meaning that its stock price is 201% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Kiora Pharmaceuticals beats Madrigal Pharmaceuticals on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Kiora Pharmaceuticals

Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes therapies for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases in the United States. Its lead product is KIO-301, a potential vision-restoring small molecule, which is in Phase 1b clinical trial that acts as a photoswitch to restore vision in patients with inherited and age-related degenerative retinal diseases. The company is also developing KIO-101, an eye drop that is in Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of ocular presentation of rheumatoid arthritis, and KIO-104 for the treatment of posterior non-infectious uveitis; and KIO-201, an eye drop, which is in Phase 3b clinical trial for treating patients undergoing photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) surgery for corneal wound repair. The company was formerly known as Eyegate Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and changed its name to Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in November 2021. Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Encinitas, California.

About Madrigal Pharmaceuticals

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of therapeutics for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in the United States. Its lead product candidate is resmetirom, a liver-directed thyroid hormone receptor beta agonist, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for treating NASH. The company is headquartered in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.