Analyzing Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) and Vivani Medical (NASDAQ:VANI)
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemVivani Medical (NASDAQ:VANI – Get Free Report) and Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, valuation and analyst recommendations.
Profitability
This table compares Vivani Medical and Verrica Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Vivani Medical | N/A | -317.03% | -82.64% |
| Verrica Pharmaceuticals | -50.27% | N/A | -40.08% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Vivani Medical and Verrica Pharmaceuticals, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Vivani Medical | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Verrica Pharmaceuticals | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Vivani Medical currently has a consensus target price of $3.50, suggesting a potential upside of 224.07%. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a consensus target price of $17.00, suggesting a potential upside of 210.79%. Given Vivani Medical’s higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Vivani Medical is more favorable than Verrica Pharmaceuticals.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
6.8% of Vivani Medical shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.5% of Verrica Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 46.4% of Vivani Medical shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 54.0% of Verrica Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Risk & Volatility
Vivani Medical has a beta of 2.16, suggesting that its share price is 116% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 1.42, suggesting that its share price is 42% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Vivani Medical and Verrica Pharmaceuticals”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Vivani Medical | N/A | N/A | -$26.61 million | ($0.43) | -2.51 |
| Verrica Pharmaceuticals | $35.58 million | 2.64 | -$17.89 million | ($1.58) | -3.46 |
Verrica Pharmaceuticals has higher revenue and earnings than Vivani Medical. Verrica Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Vivani Medical, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Verrica Pharmaceuticals beats Vivani Medical on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Vivani Medical
Vivani Medical, Inc., a clinical stage company, develops various implants that treat chronic diseases with high unmet medical need. It engages in developing a portfolio of miniature drug implants to deliver minimally fluctuating drug profiles; and implantable visual prostheses devices to deliver useful artificial vision to blind individuals. The company is headquartered in Emeryville, California.
About Verrica Pharmaceuticals
Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage dermatology therapeutics company, develops medications for the treatment of skin diseases in the United States. Its product pipeline comprises YCANTH (VP-102), which is in phase III clinical trial for the treatment of common warts; and has completed phase II clinical trial for the treatment of external genital warts. The company also develops VP-315, an oncolytic peptide-based injectable therapy, which is in phase II clinical trial for the treatment of dermatology oncologic conditions which includes basal cell carcinoma; and VP-103, a cantharidin-based product candidate for the treatment of plantar warts and is in phase II clinical trial. In addition, it offers YCANTH for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum. The company has a collaboration and license agreement with Torii Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the development and commercialization of its product candidates for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum and common warts in Japan, including VP-102; and a license agreement with Lytix Biopharma AS to develop and commercialize VP-315 for dermatological oncology indications, such as non-metastatic melanoma and non-metastatic merkel cell carcinoma. Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania.