Applied Therapeutics (NASDAQ:APLT) and Pyxis Oncology (NASDAQ:PYXS) Head-To-Head Survey

Applied Therapeutics (NASDAQ:APLT) and Pyxis Oncology (NASDAQ:PYXS) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Applied Therapeutics and Pyxis Oncology’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Applied Therapeutics	N/A	-1,497.37%	-176.54%
Pyxis Oncology	N/A	-38.99%	-30.59%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

98.3% of Applied Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 39.1% of Pyxis Oncology shares are held by institutional investors. 8.6% of Applied Therapeutics shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.3% of Pyxis Oncology shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Applied Therapeutics has a beta of 1.88, indicating that its stock price is 88% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Pyxis Oncology has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its stock price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Applied Therapeutics and Pyxis Oncology, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Applied Therapeutics	0	0	5	0	3.00
Pyxis Oncology	0	0	7	0	3.00

Applied Therapeutics currently has a consensus target price of $11.00, suggesting a potential upside of 135.55%. Pyxis Oncology has a consensus target price of $8.80, suggesting a potential upside of 165.86%. Given Pyxis Oncology’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Pyxis Oncology is more favorable than Applied Therapeutics.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Applied Therapeutics and Pyxis Oncology’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Applied Therapeutics	$9.99 million	53.42	-$119.76 million	($1.84)	-2.54
Pyxis Oncology	N/A	N/A	-$73.79 million	($1.36)	-2.43

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

Summary

Pyxis Oncology beats Applied Therapeutics on 8 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Applied Therapeutics

Applied Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of a pipeline of novel product candidates against validated molecular targets in indications of high unmet medical need in the United States. The company's lead product candidate is AT-007 (also called govorestat) that has completed phase 3 for the treatment of galactosemia in healthy volunteers and adults, in pediatric clinical study for the treatment of galactosemia in kids, for treating enzyme sorbitol dehydrogenase, and for the treatment of phosphomannomutase enzyme-CDG. It also develops AT-001 (also called caficrestat) that is in phase 3 clinical trials to treat diabetic cardiomyopathy, as well as for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy; and AT-003, which is in preclinical studies for the treatment diabetic retinopathy. The company has exclusive license and supply agreement with Mercury Pharma Group Limited to commercialize drug products containing AT-007. Applied Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

About Pyxis Oncology

Pyxis Oncology, Inc., a clinical stage company, engages in the development of therapeutics to treat cancers. Its lead antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) product candidate is PYX-201, an investigational novel ADC consisting of human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1), which is in Phase 1 clinical trial to treat patients with relapsed or refractory solid tumors; and lead immuno-oncology (IO) product candidate is PYX-106, an investigational fully human IgG1 Siglec-15-targeting antibody that is in Phase 1 clinical trial to treat patients with advanced solid tumors. The company is also developing PYX-107, a CD40 agonist with demonstrated anti-cancer activity in patients who previously progressed on PD-(L)1 inhibitors, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of solid tumors, such as soft tissue sarcomas, esophageal and gastroesophageal junction, cancers, and melanoma in combination with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. It has in-license agreement with Pfizer Inc. to develop and commercialize ADC product candidates directed to certain licensed targets, including PYX-201 and PYX-203, and products containing the ADC product candidates; and Biosion USA, Inc. for development, manufacture, and commercialization of PYX-106, an IO product candidate. Pyxis Oncology, Inc. was incorporated in 2018 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.