Reviewing Athersys (NASDAQ:ATHX) and ANI Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ANIP)

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

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Athersys and ANI Pharmaceuticals”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Athersys	$146,000.00	0.00	-$72.53 million	($2.03)	N/A
ANI Pharmaceuticals	$538.95 million	2.14	$18.78 million	$1.60	34.44

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

Profitability

This table compares Athersys and ANI Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Athersys	N/A	N/A	-223.03%
ANI Pharmaceuticals	5.01%	15.64%	7.63%

Volatility & Risk

Athersys has a beta of -0.9, indicating that its share price is 190% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ANI Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.71, indicating that its share price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Athersys and ANI Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Athersys	0	0	0	0	N/A
ANI Pharmaceuticals	0	1	4	0	2.80

ANI Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $78.80, indicating a potential upside of 43.01%.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

19.4% of Athersys shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.1% of ANI Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of Athersys shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 12.7% of ANI Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

ANI Pharmaceuticals beats Athersys on 11 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Athersys

Athersys, Inc., a biotechnology company, focuses on the research and development activities in the field of regenerative medicine. Its clinical development programs are focused on treating neurological conditions, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory and immune disorders, and pulmonary and other conditions. The company's lead platform product includes MultiStem cell therapy, an allogeneic stem cell product for the treatment of patients suffering from neurological damage from an ischemic stroke, as well as for acute respiratory distress syndrome, trauma complications, HSC transplant support, and other indications. It also develops MultiStem cell therapy to promote tissue repair and healing for animal patients. The company has license and collaboration agreements with Healios K.K. to develop and commercialize MultiStem cell therapy for ischemic stroke, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and ophthalmological indications, as well as for the treatment of liver, kidney, pancreas, and intestinal tissue diseases; and the University of Minnesota to develop MultiStem cell therapy platform. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

About ANI Pharmaceuticals

ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and markets branded and generic prescription pharmaceuticals in the United States and Canada. The company manufactures oral solid dose products; semi-solids, liquids, and topicals; controlled substances; and potent products, as well as performs contract development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. It markets its products through retail pharmacy chains, wholesalers, distributors and mail order pharmacies, group purchasing organizations, specialty pharmacies, and hospitals. ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Baudette, Minnesota.