Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS – Get Free Report) and Janux Therapeutics (NASDAQ:JANX – Get Free Report) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and valuation.
Volatility & Risk
Aclaris Therapeutics has a beta of 0.79, meaning that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Janux Therapeutics has a beta of 2.53, meaning that its share price is 153% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Aclaris Therapeutics and Janux Therapeutics”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | $7.83 million | 99.77 | -$64.92 million | ($0.58) | -9.63 |
| Janux Therapeutics | $10.00 million | 106.57 | -$113.62 million | ($1.64) | -10.63 |
Aclaris Therapeutics has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Janux Therapeutics. Janux Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aclaris Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
98.3% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.4% of Janux Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 4.8% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 7.9% of Janux Therapeutics shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Aclaris Therapeutics and Janux Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | -921.50% | -61.65% | -42.41% |
| Janux Therapeutics | N/A | -11.89% | -11.13% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Aclaris Therapeutics and Janux Therapeutics, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3.11 |
| Janux Therapeutics | 2 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 2.67 |
Aclaris Therapeutics presently has a consensus target price of $11.33, suggesting a potential upside of 102.85%. Janux Therapeutics has a consensus target price of $36.46, suggesting a potential upside of 109.19%. Given Janux Therapeutics’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Janux Therapeutics is more favorable than Aclaris Therapeutics.
Summary
Janux Therapeutics beats Aclaris Therapeutics on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Aclaris Therapeutics
Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of novel drug candidates for immune-inflammatory diseases in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Therapeutics and Contract Research. The Therapeutics segment is involved in identifying and developing therapies to address significant unmet needs for immuno-inflammatory diseases. The Contract Research segment provides laboratory services. It develops Zunsemetinib (ATI-450), an MK2 inhibitor which is under Phase 1b/2 trials for the treatment of metastatic breast and pancreatic cancer; ATI-1777, a soft JAK 1/3 inhibitor, completed Phase 2b trails for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and other dermatologic conditions; and ATI-2138, an oral covalent inhibitor of ITK and JAK3 inhibitor under Phase 1 trials as a treatment for T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
About Janux Therapeutics
Janux Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, develops immunotherapies based on Tumor Activated T Cell Engagers (TRACTr) and Tumor Activated Immunomodulators (TRACIr) platforms technology to treat patients suffering from cancer. The company's clinical candidates comprise JANX007, a prostate-specific membrane antigen or PSMA-TRACTr, which is in Phase 1 clinical trial in adults for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and the vasculature of other tumors; and JANX008, an epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR-TRACTr that is in Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of multiple solid cancers, including colorectal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, non-small cell lung cancer, and renal cell carcinoma. Its development pipeline also consists of discovery stage products. The company has strategic research collaboration agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. to develop TRACTr product candidates. Janux Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Receive News & Ratings for Aclaris Therapeutics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aclaris Therapeutics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
