Head to Head Review: Clene (NASDAQ:CLNN) vs. Ventyx Biosciences (NASDAQ:VTYX)

Clene (NASDAQ:CLNN) and Ventyx Biosciences (NASDAQ:VTYX) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, earnings, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Volatility & Risk

Clene has a beta of 0.81, suggesting that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ventyx Biosciences has a beta of 1.25, suggesting that its stock price is 25% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Clene and Ventyx Biosciences’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Clene	-14,250.47%	N/A	-140.71%
Ventyx Biosciences	N/A	-48.11%	-43.89%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

23.3% of Clene shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.9% of Ventyx Biosciences shares are owned by institutional investors. 35.3% of Clene shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 14.5% of Ventyx Biosciences shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Clene and Ventyx Biosciences”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Clene	$340,000.00	144.24	-$39.40 million	($3.39)	-1.33
Ventyx Biosciences	N/A	N/A	-$135.12 million	($1.50)	-9.31

Clene has higher revenue and earnings than Ventyx Biosciences. Ventyx Biosciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Clene, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Clene and Ventyx Biosciences, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Clene	1	0	6	0	2.71
Ventyx Biosciences	1	8	0	0	1.89

Clene presently has a consensus target price of $32.60, suggesting a potential upside of 621.24%. Ventyx Biosciences has a consensus target price of $14.00, suggesting a potential upside of 0.29%. Given Clene’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Clene is more favorable than Ventyx Biosciences.

Summary

Clene beats Ventyx Biosciences on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Clene

Clene Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel clean-surfaced nanotechnology (CSN) therapeutics. Its lead drug candidate is CNM-Au8, which is being studied in various clinical trials, including a completed Phase 2 platform trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CNM-Au8 in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); completed Phase 2 proof of concept clinical trial in patients with early symptomatic ALS; completed two open-label investigator blinded Phase 2 clinical trials on the brain's energy metabolites; completed Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of visual pathway deficits in chronic optic neuropathy for remyelination in stable relapsing Multiple Sclerosis; and a second Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with Parkinson's Diseases. The company also develops CNM-AgZn17, a gel polymer suspension of silver and zinc ions that is being developed for the treatment of infectious diseases and to support wound healing; and CNM-ZnAg, a broad-spectrum antiviral and antibacterial agent to treat infection disease and to provide immune support for symptom resolution. In addition, it markets and distributes dietary supplements comprising rMetx, an aqueous zinc-silver ion dietary supplement; and KHC46, an aqueous gold dietary supplement of very low-concentration Au nanoparticles. The company is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

About Ventyx Biosciences

Ventyx Biosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops small molecule product candidates to address a range of inflammatory diseases. The company’s lead clinical product candidate is VTX958, a selective allosteric tyrosine kinase type 2 inhibitor for psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn’s disease. It is also developing VTX002, a sphingosine 1 phosphate receptor modulator that is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of ulcerative colitis; and VTX2735, a peripheral-targeted NOD-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome inhibitor to treat patients with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome. In addition, the company develops VTX3232, a CNS-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor. Ventyx Biosciences, Inc. was incorporated in 2018 and is based in San Diego, California.