Pliant Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PLRX – Get Free Report) and AbCellera Biologics (NASDAQ:ABCL – Get Free Report) are both healthcare companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, risk, earnings and dividends.
Profitability
This table compares Pliant Therapeutics and AbCellera Biologics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Pliant Therapeutics | N/A | -52.17% | -40.46% |
| AbCellera Biologics | -248.83% | -17.49% | -12.36% |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
97.3% of Pliant Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 61.4% of AbCellera Biologics shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.7% of Pliant Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 28.4% of AbCellera Biologics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Ratings
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Pliant Therapeutics | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
| AbCellera Biologics | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2.67 |
Pliant Therapeutics presently has a consensus target price of $3.00, indicating a potential upside of 194.12%. AbCellera Biologics has a consensus target price of $13.38, indicating a potential upside of 6.57%. Given Pliant Therapeutics’ higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Pliant Therapeutics is more favorable than AbCellera Biologics.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Pliant Therapeutics and AbCellera Biologics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Pliant Therapeutics | $1.58 million | 39.97 | -$149.34 million | ($1.49) | -0.68 |
| AbCellera Biologics | $75.13 million | 51.22 | -$146.41 million | ($0.54) | -23.24 |
AbCellera Biologics has higher revenue and earnings than Pliant Therapeutics. AbCellera Biologics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Pliant Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk and Volatility
Pliant Therapeutics has a beta of 1.27, meaning that its share price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AbCellera Biologics has a beta of 1.41, meaning that its share price is 41% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
AbCellera Biologics beats Pliant Therapeutics on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Pliant Therapeutics
Pliant Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes novel therapies for the treatment of fibrosis and related diseases in the United States. The company's lead candidate is bexotegrast, an oral, small-molecule, dual selective inhibitor of avß6 and avß1 integrins, which is in phase 2b trials for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in phase 2a trial for primary sclerosing cholangitis. It also develops PLN-1474, an oral, small-molecule selective inhibitor of avß1 for the treatment of liver fibrosis associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; PLN-101095, a dual inhibitor of integrins avß8 and avß1 for the treatment of solid tumors; and PLN-101325 for treatment of muscular dystrophies. Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 and is based in South San Francisco, California.
About AbCellera Biologics
AbCellera Biologics Inc. builds an engine for antibody drug discovery and development. Its engine discovers antibodies from natural immune responses, which are pre-enriched for antibodies. The company’s preclinical products are ABCL635 for metabolic and endocrine conditions; and ABCL575 for atopic dermatitis. It has a research collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company; a research collaboration with Confo Therapeutics for the discovery of therapeutic antibody candidates targeting two undisclosed GPCR targets; and strategic collaboration with Biogen Inc. to discover therapeutic antibodies for neurological conditions, as well as collaboration with Viking Global Investors and ArrowMark Partners. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
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