Reviewing Acerus Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:ASPCF) & Perrigo (NYSE:PRGO)

Perrigo (NYSE:PRGO) and Acerus Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:ASPCF) are both medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Perrigo and Acerus Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Perrigo	-2.81%	6.79%	2.99%
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	-924.33%	N/A	-74.62%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

95.9% of Perrigo shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Perrigo shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

Perrigo has a beta of 0.49, suggesting that its stock price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Acerus Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its stock price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Perrigo and Acerus Pharmaceuticals”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Perrigo	$4.66 billion	0.73	-$12.70 million	($0.07)	-353.57
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	$2.12 million	0.80	-$33.82 million	($3.57)	-0.06

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Perrigo and Acerus Pharmaceuticals, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Perrigo	0	1	3	0	2.75
Acerus Pharmaceuticals	0	0	0	0	N/A

Perrigo currently has a consensus price target of $37.00, suggesting a potential upside of 49.49%. Given Perrigo’s higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Perrigo is more favorable than Acerus Pharmaceuticals.

Summary

Perrigo beats Acerus Pharmaceuticals on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Perrigo

Perrigo Company plc provides over-the-counter health and wellness solutions to enhance individual well-being in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Consumer Self-Care Americas and Consumer Self-Care International segments. The company develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes self-care consumer products, such as upper respiratory products, including cough suppressants, expectorants, and sinus and allergy relief; nutrition products consisting of infant formulas and nutritional beverages; digestive health products, including antacids, anti-diarrheal, and anti-heartburn; pain and sleep-aids products comprising pain relievers and fever reducers; and oral care products, which include toothbrushes, toothbrush replacement heads, floss, flossers, whitening products, and toothbrush covers. It also offers healthy lifestyle products, such as smoking cessation, well-being, and weight management products; skin care products consisting of dermatological care, scar management, lice treatment, and other products for various skin conditions; women's health products comprising feminine hygiene and contraceptives; vitamins, minerals, and supplements; rare diseases business; and other miscellaneous self-care products. The company sells its products under the Compeed, Dr. Fresh, Firefly, Good Sense, Good Start, Mederma, Nasonex, Plackers, Prevacid24HR, REACH, Rembrandt, Steripod, Opill, Solpadeine, Coldrex, Physiomer, NiQuitin, ACO, ellaOne, Compeed Stops, XLS, Arterin, Davitamon, Apiserum, Abtei, and Nicorette brands. It also offers contract manufacturing services. The company sells its products through retail drug, supermarket, and mass merchandise chains; e-commerce stores; wholesalers; pharmacies; drug and grocery retailers; and para-pharmacies. The company was formerly known as Perrigo Company and changed its name to Perrigo Company plc in December 2013. Perrigo Company plc was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

About Acerus Pharmaceuticals

Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corp. is a pharmaceutical company. The firm is focused on the commercialization and development of prescription products that improve patient experience, with a focus in the field of men’s health. It focuses on therapeutics for urology, andrology, and endocrinology. Its products include Estrace and Natesto. The company was founded by Bruce D. Brydon, Rolf K. Reininghaus and Mark L. Thompson on September 9, 2008 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.