Contrasting Hikma Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:HKMPF) & Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST)

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) and Hikma Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:HKMPF) are both medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

32.5% of Aquestive Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 7.9% of Aquestive Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Aquestive Therapeutics and Hikma Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Aquestive Therapeutics	-158.95%	N/A	-59.86%
Hikma Pharmaceuticals	N/A	N/A	N/A

Volatility & Risk

Aquestive Therapeutics has a beta of 1.79, indicating that its share price is 79% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Hikma Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.56, indicating that its share price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Aquestive Therapeutics and Hikma Pharmaceuticals”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Aquestive Therapeutics	$57.56 million	12.53	-$44.14 million	($0.71)	-8.32
Hikma Pharmaceuticals	$3.13 billion	1.46	$359.00 million	N/A	N/A

Hikma Pharmaceuticals has higher revenue and earnings than Aquestive Therapeutics.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Aquestive Therapeutics and Hikma Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Aquestive Therapeutics	1	0	8	2	3.00
Hikma Pharmaceuticals	0	0	1	0	3.00

Aquestive Therapeutics presently has a consensus price target of $10.00, indicating a potential upside of 69.20%. Given Aquestive Therapeutics’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Aquestive Therapeutics is more favorable than Hikma Pharmaceuticals.

Summary

Aquestive Therapeutics beats Hikma Pharmaceuticals on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Aquestive Therapeutics

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. operates as a pharmaceutical company in the United States and internationally. The company markets Sympazan, an oral soluble film formulation of clobazam for the treatment of lennox-gastaut syndrome; Suboxone, a sublingual film formulation of buprenorphine and naloxone for the treatment of opioid dependence; Zuplenz, an oral soluble film formulation of ondansetron for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and post-operative recovery; and Azstarys, a once-daily product for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Its proprietary product candidates comprise Libervant, a buccal soluble film formulation of diazepam for the treatment of seizures; KYNMOBI, a sublingual film formulation of apomorphine for the treatment of episodic off-periods in Parkinson's disease; and Exservan, an oral soluble film formulation of riluzole for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The company's proprietary pipeline of complex molecule product includes AQST-108, a sublingual film formulation delivering systemic epinephrine for the treatment of conditions other than anaphylaxis; and Anaphylm, an epinephrine sublingual film for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. In addition, it develops Adrenaverse, an epinephrine prodrug platform. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Warren, New Jersey.

About Hikma Pharmaceuticals

Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC develops, manufactures, markets, and sells a range of generic, branded, and in-licensed pharmaceutical products. It operates through three segments: Injectables, Generics, and Branded. The Injectables segment provides generic injectable products primarily for use in hospitals. The Generics segment offers oral and other non-injectable generic products for the retail market. The Branded segment offers branded generics and in-licensed products to retail and hospital markets. The company provides its products in various therapeutic areas, including respiratory, oncology, and pain management. It also offers its products in solid, semi-solid, liquid, and injectable final dosage forms. The company operates in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, North America, the Middle East, North Africa, and internationally. Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.