Critical Survey: Annovis Bio (NYSE:ANVS) and X4 Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XFOR)

Annovis Bio (NYSE:ANVS) and X4 Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XFOR) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

15.8% of Annovis Bio shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 72.0% of X4 Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 20.8% of Annovis Bio shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of X4 Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Annovis Bio and X4 Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Annovis Bio	N/A	-318.08%	-215.47%
X4 Pharmaceuticals	-1,106.30%	-94.90%	-48.09%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Annovis Bio and X4 Pharmaceuticals”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Annovis Bio	N/A	N/A	-$28.85 million	($1.71)	-1.13
X4 Pharmaceuticals	$35.11 million	11.58	-$79.20 million	($4.54)	-0.95

Annovis Bio has higher earnings, but lower revenue than X4 Pharmaceuticals. Annovis Bio is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than X4 Pharmaceuticals, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Annovis Bio and X4 Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Annovis Bio	1	1	2	0	2.25
X4 Pharmaceuticals	1	1	3	0	2.40

Annovis Bio presently has a consensus price target of $13.50, suggesting a potential upside of 601.30%. X4 Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $8.50, suggesting a potential upside of 97.22%. Given Annovis Bio’s higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Annovis Bio is more favorable than X4 Pharmaceuticals.

Risk and Volatility

Annovis Bio has a beta of 1.27, suggesting that its share price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, X4 Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.34, suggesting that its share price is 66% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

X4 Pharmaceuticals beats Annovis Bio on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Annovis Bio

Annovis Bio, Inc., a clinical stage drug platform company, develops drugs to treat neurodegeneration. The company's lead product candidate is Buntanetap, which has completed three Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, and other chronic neurodegenerative diseases. It is also developing ANVS405, which is in Phase 2 and Phase 3 efficacy studies, an intravenous drug for protecting the brain after traumatic brain injury and/or stroke; and ANVS301, which is in Phase I clinical trials, an orally administered drug to increase cognitive capability in later stages of AD and dementia. The company was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

About X4 Pharmaceuticals

X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the research, development, and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases. Its lead product candidate is mavorixafor, a small molecule inhibitor of the chemokine receptor C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), which is in Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of patients with warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, and myelokathexis syndrome; and Phase II clinical trial to treat congenital, idiopathic, or cyclic neutropenia. The company is also developing X4P-003, a CXCR4 antagonist for the treatment of CXCR4 dependent disorders and primary immunodeficiencies; and X4P-002, a CXCR4 antagonist for the treatment of blood-brain barrier diseases. It has a license agreement with Abbisko Therapeutics Co Ltd. to develop, manufacture, and commercialize mavorixafor in combination with checkpoint inhibitors or other agents in oncology indications. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.