Head-To-Head Review: Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) vs. Can-Fite BioPharma (NYSE:CANF)

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) and Can-Fite BioPharma (NYSE:CANF) are both medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, earnings and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Merus and Can-Fite BioPharma’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merus	-680.61%	-38.89%	-31.16%
Can-Fite BioPharma	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Merus and Can-Fite BioPharma”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merus	$43.95 million	66.72	-$154.94 million	($3.95)	-10.84
Can-Fite BioPharma	$667,000.00	8.39	-$7.63 million	($1.79)	-0.88

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Merus and Can-Fite BioPharma, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merus	0	0	12	2	3.14
Can-Fite BioPharma	0	0	2	1	3.33

Merus presently has a consensus target price of $85.64, indicating a potential upside of 99.94%. Can-Fite BioPharma has a consensus target price of $14.00, indicating a potential upside of 786.08%. Given Can-Fite BioPharma’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Can-Fite BioPharma is more favorable than Merus.

Risk & Volatility

Merus has a beta of 1.07, meaning that its share price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Can-Fite BioPharma has a beta of 1.32, meaning that its share price is 32% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

96.1% of Merus shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 21.0% of Can-Fite BioPharma shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.6% of Merus shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Can-Fite BioPharma shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Can-Fite BioPharma beats Merus on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Merus

Merus N.V., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, engages in the development of antibody therapeutics in the Netherlands. Its bispecific antibody candidate pipeline includes Zenocutuzumab (MCLA-128), which is in a phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer and castration-resistant prostate cancer, as well as in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors that harbor Neuregulin 1. The company is also developing MCLA-158, which is in a phase I clinical trial for the treatment of solid tumors; MCLA-145, which is in phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors; MCLA-129, which is in phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumors; and ONO-4685 that is Phase 1 clinical trial to treat relapsed/refractory T cell lymphoma. In addition, it has collaboration agreement with Betta Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd for the research and development of stage bispecific antibody candidates include MCLA-129; collaboration with Incyte Corporation for the development of MCLA-145; and collaboration with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to discover novel antibody-based trispecific T-cell engagers. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

About Can-Fite BioPharma

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops small molecule therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer, liver inflammatory diseases, and erectile dysfunction. The company's lead drug candidate Piclidenoson, which has been completed Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of psoriasis; and Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of COVID-19. It also develops Namodenoson that is in Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as in Phase IIb trial for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; and CF602, which is in pre-clinical trial for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. In addition, the company develops commercial predictive biomarker blood test kit for A3AR. Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. has license and collaboration agreement with CMS Medical to develop, manufacture, and commercialize Piclidenoson and Namodenoson; and collaboration agreement with Univo Pharmaceuticals to identify and co-develop specific formulations of cannabis components for the treatment of cancer, inflammatory, autoimmune, and metabolic diseases. The company was formerly known as Can-Fite Technologies Ltd. and changed its name to Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. in January 2001. Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Petah Tikva, Israel.