Vaxart (OTCMKTS:VXRT) and Surrozen (NASDAQ:SRZN) Critical Analysis

Surrozen (NASDAQ:SRZN) and Vaxart (OTCMKTS:VXRT) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability and earnings.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Surrozen and Vaxart”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Surrozen	$3.48 million	92.02	-$242.03 million	($33.37)	-0.84
Vaxart	$237.26 million	0.62	$16.33 million	$0.06	10.17

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

66.6% of Surrozen shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 18.1% of Vaxart shares are owned by institutional investors. 45.2% of Surrozen shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.8% of Vaxart shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Surrozen has a beta of 0.52, indicating that its stock price is 48% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vaxart has a beta of 1.31, indicating that its stock price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Surrozen and Vaxart’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Surrozen	-7,476.67%	-4,055.04%	-118.00%
Vaxart	6.88%	33.83%	9.10%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Surrozen and Vaxart, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Surrozen	1	0	2	1	2.75
Vaxart	0	0	0	0	0.00

Surrozen presently has a consensus target price of $38.00, suggesting a potential upside of 36.35%. Given Surrozen’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Surrozen is more favorable than Vaxart.

Summary

Vaxart beats Surrozen on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Surrozen

Surrozen, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company, discovers and develops drug candidates to selectively modulate the Wnt pathway for tissue repair. The company is developing antibody-based therapeutics which targets various disease areas, including diseases of the intestine, liver, retina, cornea, lung, kidney, cochlea, skin, pancreas, and central nervous system. Its products in pipeline include SZN-043, a hepatocyte-specific R-spondin mimetic bispecific fusion protein, which is in Phase 1b clinical trial for the treatment of severe liver diseases, including alcohol-associated hepatitis. The company develops SZN-413, a Fzd4 targeted bi-specific antibody for the treatment of retinal vascular associated diseases. Surrozen, Inc. has collaboration and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH to research, develop, and commercialize Fzd4 bi-specific antibodies. Surrozen, Inc. is based in South San Francisco, California.

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.