Bio-Path (NASDAQ:BPTH) and Spruce Biosciences (NASDAQ:SPRB) Head-To-Head Review

Bio-Path (NASDAQ:BPTH) and Spruce Biosciences (NASDAQ:SPRB) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings and profitability.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

5.7% of Bio-Path shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.7% of Spruce Biosciences shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Bio-Path shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of Spruce Biosciences 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.

Volatility & Risk

Bio-Path has a beta of -0.08, indicating that its share price is 108% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Spruce Biosciences has a beta of 3.22, indicating that its share price is 222% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Bio-Path and Spruce Biosciences’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bio-Path	N/A	-2,842.40%	-337.48%
Spruce Biosciences	N/A	-305.39%	-168.01%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Bio-Path and Spruce Biosciences”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bio-Path	N/A	N/A	-$16.08 million	($1.82)	-0.05
Spruce Biosciences	$4.91 million	10.83	-$53.04 million	($85.00)	-1.25

Bio-Path has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Spruce Biosciences. Spruce Biosciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bio-Path, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Bio-Path and Spruce Biosciences, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bio-Path	0	0	0	0	0.00
Spruce Biosciences	1	7	2	0	2.10

Spruce Biosciences has a consensus price target of $178.88, suggesting a potential upside of 68.19%. Given Spruce Biosciences’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Spruce Biosciences is more favorable than Bio-Path.

Summary

Spruce Biosciences beats Bio-Path on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bio-Path

Bio-Path Holdings, Inc. operates as a clinical and preclinical stage oncology focused RNAi nanoparticle drug development company in the United States. The company develops products based on DNAbilize, a drug delivery and antisense technology platform that uses P-ethoxy, which is a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) backbone modification intended to protect the DNA from destruction. Its lead drug candidate is prexigebersen, which is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome. It is also developing BP1001-A that is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of solid tumors; Liposomal Bcl-2 (BP1002), which is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of refractory/relapsed lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia; and Liposomal STAT3 (BP1003) for treating pancreatic cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and AML. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Bellaire, Texas.

About Spruce Biosciences

Spruce Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing novel therapies for rare endocrine disorders. The company engages in developing tildacerfont, a non-steroidal therapy to enhance disease control and reduce steroid burden for patients suffering from congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which is in Phase 2b clinical trial; and to evaluate glucocorticoid reduction in adult patients with classic CAH that is Phase 2b clinical trial. It is also developing tildacerfont for the treatment of pediatric classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia in children that is in Phase 2 clinical trial; and for females with polycystic ovary syndrome, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial. Spruce Biosciences, Inc. has a license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company to research, develop, and commercialize compounds for various pharmaceutical uses; and collaboration and license agreement with Kaken Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to develop, manufacture, and commercialize tildacerfont for the treatment of CAH in Japan. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.