Analyzing NRx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:NRXP) and Salarius Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SLRX)

NRx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:NRXP) and Salarius Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SLRX) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and risk.

Volatility & Risk

NRx Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 1.91, indicating that its stock price is 91% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Salarius Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.4, indicating that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares NRx Pharmaceuticals and Salarius Pharmaceuticals”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NRx Pharmaceuticals	N/A	N/A	-$25.13 million	($2.35)	-0.89
Salarius Pharmaceuticals	N/A	N/A	-$5.58 million	($33.89)	-0.02

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for NRx Pharmaceuticals and Salarius Pharmaceuticals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NRx Pharmaceuticals	1	1	4	0	2.50
Salarius Pharmaceuticals	1	0	0	0	1.00

NRx Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus price target of $36.50, indicating a potential upside of 1,638.10%. Given NRx Pharmaceuticals’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe NRx Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Salarius Pharmaceuticals.

Profitability

This table compares NRx Pharmaceuticals and Salarius Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NRx Pharmaceuticals	N/A	N/A	-395.06%
Salarius Pharmaceuticals	N/A	-401.05%	-155.77%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

4.3% of NRx Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 11.9% of Salarius Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 19.0% of NRx Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Salarius Pharmaceuticals 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

NRx Pharmaceuticals beats Salarius Pharmaceuticals on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NRx Pharmaceuticals

NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage bio-pharmaceutical company, develops novel therapeutics for the treatment of central nervous system disorders, including suicidal depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic pain. Its products include NRX-101 (D-cycloserine/Lurasidone), an oral, fixed dosed combination of D-cycloserine and lurasidone that earned food and drug administration-designated breakthrough therapy for suicidal treatment-resistant bipolar depression; and NRX-100 (ketamine), which has been awarded FDA fast track designation for the treatment of severe bipolar depression with acute suicidal ideation and behavior. The company has a partnership with Alvogen Inc. and Lotus Pharmaceutical Company; development and manufacturing agreement with Nephron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alcami; license agreement with Apkarian Technologies; development and license agreement with Glytech; license agreement with Sarah Herzog Memorial Hospital. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.

About Salarius Pharmaceuticals

Salarius Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on developing treatments for cancers with unmet medical need. Its lead candidate is Seclidemstat (SP-2577), a small molecular inhibitor which is in Phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of advanced solid tumors, as well as Ewing sarcoma. The company also offers SP-3164, a small molecular protein degrader for the treatment of hematological and solid tumors. It has a strategic partnership with The University of Utah Research Foundation for the exclusive license with respect to patent rights protecting SP-2577 and related compounds and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas for product development activities. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.