Vaxart (OTCMKTS:VXRT – Get Free Report) and Perrigo (NYSE:PRGO – Get Free Report) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and analyst recommendations.
Profitability
This table compares Vaxart and Perrigo’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Vaxart | 15.88% | 53.04% | 20.85% |
| Perrigo | -41.85% | 11.25% | 4.08% |
Volatility and Risk
Vaxart has a beta of 1.06, indicating that its stock price is 6% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Perrigo has a beta of 0.59, indicating that its stock price is 41% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Ratings
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Vaxart | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Perrigo | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Perrigo has a consensus target price of $19.33, suggesting a potential upside of 41.76%. Given Perrigo’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Perrigo is more favorable than Vaxart.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Vaxart and Perrigo”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Vaxart | $237.26 million | 0.50 | $16.33 million | $0.16 | 3.04 |
| Perrigo | $4.25 billion | 0.44 | -$1.43 billion | ($12.51) | -1.09 |
Vaxart has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Perrigo. Perrigo is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Vaxart, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
18.0% of Vaxart shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.9% of Perrigo shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.8% of Vaxart shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Perrigo shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
Vaxart beats Perrigo on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Vaxart
Vaxart, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, discovers and develops oral recombinant protein vaccines based on its proprietary oral vaccine platform. The company’s product pipeline includes norovirus vaccine, a bivalent oral tablet vaccine in Phase 2 clinical trial for the GI.1 and GII.4 norovirus strains; coronavirus vaccine, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial, for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection; seasonal influenza vaccine, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial, to treat H1 influenza infection; and human papillomavirus therapeutic vaccine, which is in preclinical stage, that targets HPV-16 and HPV-18 for cervical cancers and precancerous cervical lesions. It has a license agreement with Altesa Biosciences, Inc. to develop and commercialize Vapendavir, a capsid-binding broad-spectrum antiviral. Vaxart, Inc. is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.
About Perrigo
Perrigo Company plc provides over-the-counter health and wellness solutions to enhance individual well-being in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Consumer Self-Care Americas and Consumer Self-Care International segments. The company develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes self-care consumer products, such as upper respiratory products, including cough suppressants, expectorants, and sinus and allergy relief; nutrition products consisting of infant formulas and nutritional beverages; digestive health products, including antacids, anti-diarrheal, and anti-heartburn; pain and sleep-aids products comprising pain relievers and fever reducers; and oral care products, which include toothbrushes, toothbrush replacement heads, floss, flossers, whitening products, and toothbrush covers. It also offers healthy lifestyle products, such as smoking cessation, well-being, and weight management products; skin care products consisting of dermatological care, scar management, lice treatment, and other products for various skin conditions; women's health products comprising feminine hygiene and contraceptives; vitamins, minerals, and supplements; rare diseases business; and other miscellaneous self-care products. The company sells its products under the Compeed, Dr. Fresh, Firefly, Good Sense, Good Start, Mederma, Nasonex, Plackers, Prevacid24HR, REACH, Rembrandt, Steripod, Opill, Solpadeine, Coldrex, Physiomer, NiQuitin, ACO, ellaOne, Compeed Stops, XLS, Arterin, Davitamon, Apiserum, Abtei, and Nicorette brands. It also offers contract manufacturing services. The company sells its products through retail drug, supermarket, and mass merchandise chains; e-commerce stores; wholesalers; pharmacies; drug and grocery retailers; and para-pharmacies. The company was formerly known as Perrigo Company and changed its name to Perrigo Company plc in December 2013. Perrigo Company plc was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
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