Xenetic Biosciences (NASDAQ:XBIO – Get Free Report) and Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, valuation and risk.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
12.0% of Xenetic Biosciences shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.0% of Xenetic Biosciences shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.7% of Akero Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Xenetic Biosciences and Akero Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Xenetic Biosciences | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Akero Therapeutics | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3.00 |
Risk and Volatility
Xenetic Biosciences has a beta of 2.61, indicating that its stock price is 161% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Akero Therapeutics has a beta of -0.37, indicating that its stock price is 137% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Xenetic Biosciences and Akero Therapeutics’ top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Xenetic Biosciences | $1.71 million | 3.50 | -$6.55 million | ($2.98) | -1.31 |
| Akero Therapeutics | N/A | N/A | -$151.76 million | ($2.85) | -8.82 |
Xenetic Biosciences has higher revenue and earnings than Akero Therapeutics. Akero Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Xenetic Biosciences, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Xenetic Biosciences and Akero Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Xenetic Biosciences | -188.83% | -36.11% | -33.47% |
| Akero Therapeutics | N/A | -29.59% | -27.10% |
Summary
Akero Therapeutics beats Xenetic Biosciences on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Xenetic Biosciences
Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on progressing XCART, a personalized CAR T platform technology engineered to target patient-specific tumor neoantigens. The Company is initially advancing cell-based therapeutics targeting the unique B-cell receptor on the surface of an individual patient’s malignant tumor cells for the treatment of B-cell lymphomas. XCART has the potential to fuel a robust pipeline of therapeutic assets targeting high-value oncology indications.
About Akero Therapeutics
Akero Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage company, engages in the development of transformational treatments for patients with serious metabolic diseases, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a disease without any approved therapies. Its lead product candidate is efruxifermin (EFX), an analog of fibroblast growth factor 21, which protects against cellular stress and regulates metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins throughout the body. The company is also conducting a Phase 2b clinical trial to evaluate EFX in the treatment of biopsy-confirmed NASH patients. The company was formerly known as Pippin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and changed its name to Akero Therapeutics, Inc. in May 2018. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.
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