Cronos Group (NASDAQ:CRON – Get Free Report) and Kiora Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KPRX – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings and profitability.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
8.7% of Cronos Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.0% of Kiora Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. 7.3% of Cronos Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Kiora Pharmaceuticals shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Cronos Group and Kiora Pharmaceuticals”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Cronos Group | $146.59 million | 6.90 | -$9.45 million | ($0.01) | -269.00 |
| Kiora Pharmaceuticals | $16.02 million | 0.62 | -$10.84 million | ($2.65) | -0.95 |
Cronos Group has higher revenue and earnings than Kiora Pharmaceuticals. Cronos Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Kiora Pharmaceuticals, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Cronos Group and Kiora Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Cronos Group | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2.20 |
| Kiora Pharmaceuticals | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Cronos Group currently has a consensus target price of $2.30, indicating a potential downside of 14.50%. Kiora Pharmaceuticals has a consensus target price of $10.00, indicating a potential upside of 296.83%. Given Kiora Pharmaceuticals’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Kiora Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Cronos Group.
Risk & Volatility
Cronos Group has a beta of 0.81, meaning that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kiora Pharmaceuticals has a beta of -0.78, meaning that its share price is 178% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Cronos Group and Kiora Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Cronos Group | -6.44% | -1.12% | -1.07% |
| Kiora Pharmaceuticals | N/A | -51.37% | -36.09% |
Summary
Cronos Group beats Kiora Pharmaceuticals on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Cronos Group
Cronos Group Inc. operates as a cannabinoid company that engages in the cultivation, production and marketing of cannabis products in Canada, Israel, and Germany. It offers dried flower, pre-rolls, oils, vaporizers, edibles, and cannabis tinctures under the Spinach, Lord Jones, and PEACE NATURALS brands. Cronos Group Inc. was founded in 2012 and is based in Toronto, Canada.
About Kiora Pharmaceuticals
Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes therapies for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases in the United States. Its lead product is KIO-301, a potential vision-restoring small molecule, which is in Phase 1b clinical trial that acts as a photoswitch to restore vision in patients with inherited and age-related degenerative retinal diseases. The company is also developing KIO-101, an eye drop that is in Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of ocular presentation of rheumatoid arthritis, and KIO-104 for the treatment of posterior non-infectious uveitis; and KIO-201, an eye drop, which is in Phase 3b clinical trial for treating patients undergoing photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) surgery for corneal wound repair. The company was formerly known as Eyegate Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and changed its name to Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in November 2021. Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Encinitas, California.
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