PainReform (NASDAQ:PRFX) vs. Marker Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MRKR) Critical Survey

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

Profitability

This table compares PainReform and Marker Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
PainReform	N/A	N/A	N/A
Marker Therapeutics	-224.46%	-101.87%	-83.02%

Risk and Volatility

PainReform has a beta of 0.63, meaning that its share price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Marker Therapeutics has a beta of 1.44, meaning that its share price is 44% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares PainReform and Marker Therapeutics”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
PainReform	N/A	N/A	-$14.59 million	($147.33)	-0.01
Marker Therapeutics	$6.59 million	2.49	-$10.73 million	($1.33)	-1.09

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

37.3% of PainReform shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 22.4% of Marker Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 34.4% of PainReform shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 14.5% of Marker Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for PainReform and Marker Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
PainReform	0	1	0	0	2.00
Marker Therapeutics	0	0	2	2	3.50

PainReform presently has a consensus target price of $8.00, indicating a potential upside of 398.44%. Marker Therapeutics has a consensus target price of $13.17, indicating a potential upside of 808.05%. Given Marker Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Marker Therapeutics is more favorable than PainReform.

Summary

Marker Therapeutics beats PainReform on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About PainReform

PainReform Ltd., a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company, focuses on the reformulation of established therapeutics and provides an extended period of post-surgical pain relief in Israel. It develops PRF-110, a viscous clear oil-based solution that is instilled directly into the surgical wound to provide localized and extended post-operative analgesia, as well as in Phase 3 clinical trial for pain treatment of patients undergoing bunionectomy and second trial for pain treatment of hernia repair operations. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

About Marker Therapeutics

Marker Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, engages in the development and commercialization of novel T cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumor indications. Its multi tumor associated antigen-specific T cell technology is based on the manufacture of non-engineered tumor-specific T cells that recognize multiple tumor-associated antigens. The company also develops MT-401-OTS for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia; and MT-601 to treat lymphoma and pancreatic cancer. Marker Therapeutics, Inc. is headquartered in Houston, Texas.