Contrasting MARKER THERAPEUTICS (NASDAQ:MRKR) and Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH)

MARKER THERAPEUTICS (NASDAQ:MRKR) and Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, valuation and dividends.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares MARKER THERAPEUTICS and Aurinia Pharmaceuticals”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MARKER THERAPEUTICS	$6.59 million	2.68	-$10.73 million	($1.33)	-1.17
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals	$235.13 million	5.13	$5.75 million	$0.28	31.89

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has higher revenue and earnings than MARKER THERAPEUTICS. MARKER THERAPEUTICS is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

MARKER THERAPEUTICS has a beta of 1.43, suggesting that its stock price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 1.16, suggesting that its stock price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares MARKER THERAPEUTICS and Aurinia Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MARKER THERAPEUTICS	-224.46%	-101.87%	-83.02%
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals	16.11%	14.27%	9.93%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for MARKER THERAPEUTICS and Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MARKER THERAPEUTICS	0	0	2	2	3.50
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals	0	0	2	0	3.00

MARKER THERAPEUTICS currently has a consensus target price of $13.17, indicating a potential upside of 744.02%. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has a consensus target price of $11.50, indicating a potential upside of 28.78%. Given MARKER THERAPEUTICS’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe MARKER THERAPEUTICS is more favorable than Aurinia Pharmaceuticals.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

22.4% of MARKER THERAPEUTICS shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 36.8% of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 14.5% of MARKER THERAPEUTICS shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 12.2% of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals beats MARKER THERAPEUTICS on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

About Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapies to treat various diseases with unmet medical need in the United States. It offers LUPKYNIS for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis. It has a collaboration and license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada.