Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) vs. Vivani Medical (NASDAQ:VANI) Financial Comparison

Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) and Vivani Medical (NASDAQ:VANI) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Volatility and Risk

Aclaris Therapeutics has a beta of 0.41, indicating that its stock price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vivani Medical has a beta of 3.07, indicating that its stock price is 207% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Aclaris Therapeutics and Vivani Medical”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Aclaris Therapeutics	$18.72 million	20.32	-$132.07 million	($1.38)	-2.54
Vivani Medical	N/A	N/A	-$23.49 million	($0.45)	-3.31

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

Profitability

This table compares Aclaris Therapeutics and Vivani Medical’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Aclaris Therapeutics	-900.01%	-39.73%	-27.98%
Vivani Medical	N/A	-293.64%	-79.49%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

98.3% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 6.8% of Vivani Medical shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.6% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 46.4% of Vivani Medical shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Aclaris Therapeutics and Vivani Medical, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Aclaris Therapeutics	1	0	5	0	2.67
Vivani Medical	1	1	1	0	2.00

Aclaris Therapeutics presently has a consensus target price of $9.75, suggesting a potential upside of 177.78%. Vivani Medical has a consensus target price of $4.00, suggesting a potential upside of 168.46%. Given Aclaris Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Aclaris Therapeutics is more favorable than Vivani Medical.

Summary

Aclaris Therapeutics beats Vivani Medical on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Aclaris Therapeutics

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of novel drug candidates for immune-inflammatory diseases in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Therapeutics and Contract Research. The Therapeutics segment is involved in identifying and developing therapies to address significant unmet needs for immuno-inflammatory diseases. The Contract Research segment provides laboratory services. It develops Zunsemetinib (ATI-450), an MK2 inhibitor which is under Phase 1b/2 trials for the treatment of metastatic breast and pancreatic cancer; ATI-1777, a soft JAK 1/3 inhibitor, completed Phase 2b trails for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and other dermatologic conditions; and ATI-2138, an oral covalent inhibitor of ITK and JAK3 inhibitor under Phase 1 trials as a treatment for T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

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.