Oncorus (NASDAQ:ONCR – Get Free Report) and Verve Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERV – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
20.1% of Oncorus shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.1% of Verve Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 17.1% of Oncorus shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 21.4% of Verve Therapeutics shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Oncorus and Verve Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Oncorus | N/A | -134.31% | -60.14% |
| Verve Therapeutics | -3,534.98% | -37.08% | -29.85% |
Analyst Recommendations
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Oncorus | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Verve Therapeutics | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2.50 |
Oncorus currently has a consensus price target of $2.00, indicating a potential upside of 7,321.15%. Verve Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $30.83, indicating a potential upside of 147.86%. Given Oncorus’ higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Oncorus is more favorable than Verve Therapeutics.
Risk & Volatility
Oncorus has a beta of 2.22, meaning that its share price is 122% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Verve Therapeutics has a beta of 1.6, meaning that its share price is 60% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Oncorus and Verve Therapeutics’ revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Oncorus | N/A | N/A | -$77.42 million | ($3.49) | -0.01 |
| Verve Therapeutics | $1.94 million | 408.60 | -$157.39 million | ($3.17) | -3.92 |
Oncorus has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Verve Therapeutics. Verve Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Oncorus, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Verve Therapeutics beats Oncorus on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Oncorus
Oncorus, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing viral immunotherapies for cancer patients. The company develops ONCR-021 for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and anaplastic thyroid cancer; and ONCR-788 for the treatment of small cell lung cancer, neuroendocrine prostate, and other neuroendocrine cancers. Oncorus, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts.
About Verve Therapeutics
Verve Therapeutics, Inc., a genetic medicines company, engages in developing gene editing medicines for patients to treat cardiovascular diseases. Its lead product candidate is VERVE-101, a single-course gene editing treatment that permanently turns off the PCSK9 gene in the liver. The company also engages in the development of ANGPTL3 program to permanently turn off the ANGPTL3 gene in the liver. It has a collaboration and license agreement with Beam Therapeutics Inc.; a development and option agreement with Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc.; and a Cas9 license agreement with The Broad Institute and the President and Fellows of Harvard College. The company was formerly known as Endcadia, Inc. and changed its name to Verve Therapeutics, Inc. in January 2019. Verve Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2018 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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