Head to Head Survey: Ovid Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OVID) versus Nexien BioPharma (OTCMKTS:NXEN)

Nexien BioPharma (OTCMKTS:NXEN) and Ovid Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OVID) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, valuation and earnings.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Nexien BioPharma and Ovid Therapeutics’ gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Nexien BioPharma	N/A	N/A	-$360,000.00	($0.01)	-1.69
Ovid Therapeutics	$390,000.00	156.83	-$52.34 million	($0.73)	-1.18

Nexien BioPharma has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Ovid Therapeutics. Nexien BioPharma is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ovid Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Nexien BioPharma and Ovid Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Nexien BioPharma	N/A	N/A	-1,203.89%
Ovid Therapeutics	-10,691.14%	-53.62%	-37.76%

Risk & Volatility

Nexien BioPharma has a beta of 1.47, indicating that its stock price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ovid Therapeutics has a beta of 0.45, indicating that its stock price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

72.2% of Ovid Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 30.6% of Nexien BioPharma shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.3% of Ovid Therapeutics shares are owned by company 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.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Nexien BioPharma and Ovid Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Nexien BioPharma	0	0	0	0	N/A
Ovid Therapeutics	0	2	4	0	2.67

Ovid Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $4.70, indicating a potential upside of 445.12%. Given Ovid Therapeutics’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Ovid Therapeutics is more favorable than Nexien BioPharma.

About Nexien BioPharma

Nexien BioPharma, Inc. focuses on the formulation, development, and commercialization of cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, and related technologies for diseases, disorders, and medical conditions. The company was formerly known as Intiva BioPharma Inc. and changed its name to Nexien BioPharma, Inc. in September 2018. Nexien BioPharma, Inc. is based in Glendale, Colorado.

About Ovid Therapeutics

Ovid Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of impactful medicines for patients and families with epilepsies and seizure-related neurological disorders in the United States. The company is developing soticlestat, a novel cholesterol 24 hydroxylase inhibitor, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the potential treatment of patients with resistant epilepsies; OV329, a GABA aminotransferase inhibitor which is in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex and infantile spasms; and OV350, a small molecule direct activator of the KCC2 transporter, which is in Phase 1 clinical trials for treating epilepsies. It also develops OV815, that focuses on the mutations associated with KIF1A-associated neurological disorder (KAND); OV888 (GV101), a highly selective rock2 inhibitor which is in Phase 1 double-blind multiple-ascending dose trial; OV825, has advanced to potential candidate lead identification for the rare neurodevelopmental condition HNRNPH2 (Bain Syndrome); and OV882, a short hairpin RNA gene therapy for the treatment of Angelman syndrome. The company has license and collaboration agreements with Healx, AstraZeneca AB, H. Lundbeck A/S, Northwestern University, and Graviton, as well as Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in New York, New York.