Head-To-Head Survey: Savara (NASDAQ:SVRA) vs. Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS)

Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) and Savara (NASDAQ:SVRA) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, dividends and earnings.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Aclaris Therapeutics and Savara”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Aclaris Therapeutics	$18.72 million	18.17	-$132.07 million	($1.38)	-2.28
Savara	N/A	N/A	-$95.88 million	($0.53)	-11.42

Savara has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Aclaris Therapeutics. Savara is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aclaris Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Aclaris Therapeutics and Savara’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Aclaris Therapeutics	-900.01%	-39.73%	-27.98%
Savara	N/A	-86.60%	-65.44%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations for Aclaris Therapeutics and Savara, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Aclaris Therapeutics	1	0	5	0	2.67
Savara	1	1	7	1	2.80

Aclaris Therapeutics currently has a consensus target price of $9.75, suggesting a potential upside of 210.51%. Savara has a consensus target price of $8.57, suggesting a potential upside of 41.68%. Given Aclaris Therapeutics’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Aclaris Therapeutics is more favorable than Savara.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

98.3% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.9% of Savara shares are held by institutional investors. 5.6% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.3% of Savara shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Aclaris Therapeutics has a beta of 0.62, suggesting that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Savara has a beta of 0.23, suggesting that its stock price is 77% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Aclaris Therapeutics beats Savara on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Aclaris Therapeutics

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of novel drug candidates for immune-inflammatory diseases in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Therapeutics and Contract Research. The Therapeutics segment is involved in identifying and developing therapies to address significant unmet needs for immuno-inflammatory diseases. The Contract Research segment provides laboratory services. It develops Zunsemetinib (ATI-450), an MK2 inhibitor which is under Phase 1b/2 trials for the treatment of metastatic breast and pancreatic cancer; ATI-1777, a soft JAK 1/3 inhibitor, completed Phase 2b trails for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and other dermatologic conditions; and ATI-2138, an oral covalent inhibitor of ITK and JAK3 inhibitor under Phase 1 trials as a treatment for T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

About Savara

Savara Inc., formerly Mast Therapeutics, Inc., is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies for the treatment of patients with rare respiratory diseases. Its pipeline includes AeroVanc, Molgradex and AIR001. AeroVanc is an inhaled formulation of vancomycin, which the Company is developing for the treatment of persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients. Molgradex is an inhaled formulation of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. It is developing Molgradex for the treatment of autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, a rare lung disease. AIR001 is a sodium nitrite solution for inhalation via nebulization. AIR001 is in Phase II clinical development for the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, also known as diastolic heart failure or heart failure with preserved systolic function.