ULURU (OTCMKTS:ULUR) vs. Heron Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HRTX) Financial Contrast

Heron Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HRTX) and ULURU (OTCMKTS:ULUR) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, dividends, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Risk & Volatility

Heron Therapeutics has a beta of 1.55, meaning that its share price is 55% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ULURU has a beta of -3.13, meaning that its share price is 413% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

80.0% of Heron Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 5.8% of Heron Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of ULURU shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Heron Therapeutics and ULURU, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Heron Therapeutics	0	0	3	0	3.00
ULURU	0	0	0	0	0.00

Heron Therapeutics presently has a consensus target price of $5.67, suggesting a potential upside of 138.10%. Given Heron Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Heron Therapeutics is more favorable than ULURU.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Heron Therapeutics and ULURU”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Heron Therapeutics	$144.29 million	2.51	-$110.56 million	($0.09)	-26.44
ULURU	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

ULURU has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Heron Therapeutics.

Profitability

This table compares Heron Therapeutics and ULURU’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Heron Therapeutics	-20.31%	N/A	-12.72%
ULURU	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Heron Therapeutics beats ULURU on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Heron Therapeutics

Heron Therapeutics, Inc., a commercial-stage biotechnology company, focuses on enhancing the lives of patients by developing and commercializing therapeutic that enhances medical care. The company's product candidates utilize its proprietary Biochronomer, a drug delivery technology, which delivers therapeutic levels of a range of short-acting pharmacological agents over a period from days to weeks with a single administration. It offers SUSTOL (granisetron), an extended-release injection for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting associated with moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, or anthracycline and cyclophosphamide combination chemotherapy regimens; and CINVANTI, an intravenous formulation of aprepitant, a substance P/neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting associated with highly emetogenic cancer chemotherapy, as well as nausea and vomiting associated with moderately emetogenic cancer chemotherapy. The company is also developing ZYNRELEF, a dual-acting local anesthetic that delivers a fixed-dose combination of the local anesthetic bupivacaine and a low dose of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam; and APONVIE, an intravenous formulation of a substance P/neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist indicated for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in adults. The company was formerly known as A.P. Pharma, Inc. and changed its name to Heron Therapeutics, Inc. in January 2014. Heron Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

About ULURU

ULURU Inc., a specialty medical technology company, researches, develops, and commercializes a range of wound care and muco-adhesive film products based on its patented Nanoflex and OraDisc technologies in the United States and internationally. The company provides Altrazeal, a transforming powder dressing that is used for the treatment of various wounds, such as partial thickness burns, donor sites, and surgical and traumatic wounds, as well as chronic wounds, including diabetic foot, venous leg, and pressure ulcers. Its products also include Aphthasol paste for the treatment of canker sores; OraDisc A for canker sores; and OraDisc B, which is used for the treatment and management of oral pain. ULURU Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Addison, Texas.