Contrasting Relmada Therapeutics (NASDAQ:RLMD) and Phio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PHIO)

Relmada Therapeutics (NASDAQ:RLMD) and Phio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PHIO) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Volatility & Risk

Relmada Therapeutics has a beta of 0.43, indicating that its stock price is 57% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Phio Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.84, indicating that its stock price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Relmada Therapeutics and Phio Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Relmada Therapeutics	N/A	-71.22%	-64.46%
Phio Pharmaceuticals	N/A	-77.34%	-70.87%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Relmada Therapeutics and Phio Pharmaceuticals, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Relmada Therapeutics	1	1	4	1	2.71
Phio Pharmaceuticals	1	0	1	0	2.00

Relmada Therapeutics currently has a consensus price target of $12.00, suggesting a potential upside of 67.36%. Phio Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $14.00, suggesting a potential upside of 1,196.30%. Given Phio Pharmaceuticals’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Phio Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Relmada Therapeutics.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Relmada Therapeutics and Phio Pharmaceuticals”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Relmada Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-$57.38 million	($1.09)	-6.58
Phio Pharmaceuticals	N/A	N/A	-$8.70 million	($1.38)	-0.78

Relmada Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Phio Pharmaceuticals, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

45.2% of Relmada Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 57.3% of Phio Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 14.5% of Relmada Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Phio Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Relmada Therapeutics beats Phio Pharmaceuticals on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Relmada Therapeutics

Relmada Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on developing various products for the treatment of central nervous system diseases (CNS) and other disorders in the United States. Its lead product candidate is Esmethadone (d-methadone, dextromethadone, and REL-1017), a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist which is in phase 3 clinical trial for the adjunctive or monotherapy treatment of major depressive disorder. The company is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.

About Phio Pharmaceuticals

Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp. engages in the development of immuno-oncology therapeutics in the United States. The company is developing PH-762, an INTASYL compound in Phase 1b dose-escalating clinical trials to reduce the expression of cell death protein 1 (PD-1), a protein that inhibits T cells’ ability to kill cancer cells; and PH-762 treated double positive tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, which is in Phase 1 clinical trials to treat advanced melanoma and other advanced solid tumors. It is also developing PH-894, an INTASYL compound in IND enabling studies to silence BRD4, a protein that controls gene expression in both T cells and tumor cells, effecting the immune system and the tumor. The company was formerly known as RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation and changed its name to Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp. in November 2018. Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp. was incorporated in 2011 and is based in Marlborough, Massachusetts.