Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) vs. Immatics (NASDAQ:IMTX) Head to Head Contrast

Immatics (NASDAQ:IMTX) and Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Immatics and Akebia Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Immatics	-495.71%	-47.41%	-39.45%
Akebia Therapeutics	-13.54%	-88.88%	-7.74%

Analyst Recommendations

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

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Immatics	1	1	6	0	2.62
Akebia Therapeutics	1	2	4	0	2.43

Immatics currently has a consensus target price of $20.60, suggesting a potential upside of 133.83%. Akebia Therapeutics has a consensus target price of $3.90, suggesting a potential upside of 303.73%. Given Akebia Therapeutics’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Akebia Therapeutics is more favorable than Immatics.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

64.4% of Immatics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.9% of Akebia Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.3% of Immatics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 4.3% of Akebia Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

Immatics has a beta of 1.33, meaning that its stock price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Akebia Therapeutics has a beta of 0.19, meaning that its stock price is 81% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Immatics and Akebia Therapeutics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Immatics	$54.60 million	22.06	-$222.26 million	($1.86)	-4.74
Akebia Therapeutics	$236.20 million	1.13	-$5.34 million	($0.11)	-8.78

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

About Immatics

Immatics N.V., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the research and development of potential T cell redirecting immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer in the United States. The company is developing targeted immunotherapies with a focus on treating solid tumors through two distinct treatment modalities, such as TCR-engineered autologous or allogeneic adoptive cell therapies (ACT) and antibody-like TCR Bispecifics. Its products pipeline includes IMA203 that targets solid tumors, which is in Phase 1b clinical trial; IMA203CD8, a cell therapy product that is in Phase 1b clinical trial; IMA204 that targets tumor stroma, which is in preclinical stage; and IMA30x, an allogenic cellular therapy product candidate, which is in preclinical stage. The company also develops TCR Bispecifics products, including IMA401 and IMA402, which is in Phase 1a clinical trial. The company has a strategic collaboration agreement with MD Anderson Cancer Center to develop multiple T cell and TCR-based adoptive cellular therapies; Celgene Corporation to develop novel adoptive cell therapies targeting multiple cancers; and Genmab A/S to develop T cell engaging bispecific immunotherapies targeting multiple cancer indications. Immatics N.V. is headquartered in Tübingen, Germany.

About Akebia Therapeutics

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for patients with kidney diseases. The company’s lead product investigational product candidate is Vafseo (vadadustat), an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase, which is in Phase III development for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in dialysis-dependent and non-dialysis dependent patients. It offers Auryxia, a ferric citrate that is used to control the serum phosphorus levels in adult patients with DD-CKD on dialysis; and the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adult patients with CKD not on dialysis. The company’s product pipeline includes AKB-9090, a drug targeting critical-care indications; and AKB-10108, a drug targeting conditions related to premature birth. It has collaboration agreements with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation for the development and commercialization of vadadustat in Japan and other Asian countries, as well as research and license agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV for the development and commercialization of hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase targeted compounds worldwide. Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.