Exicure (NASDAQ:XCUR) versus Immatics (NASDAQ:IMTX) Head-To-Head Review

Immatics (NASDAQ:IMTX) and Exicure (NASDAQ:XCUR) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, risk and profitability.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Immatics and Exicure”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Immatics	$54.60 million	18.45	-$222.26 million	($1.86)	-3.96
Exicure	$500,000.00	13.10	-$4.95 million	($1.32)	-0.76

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

Institutional and Insider Ownership

64.4% of Immatics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.8% of Exicure shares are held by institutional investors. 3.3% of Immatics shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 52.8% of Exicure shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Immatics and Exicure, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Immatics	1	1	6	0	2.62
Exicure	1	0	0	0	1.00

Immatics currently has a consensus price target of $20.60, suggesting a potential upside of 179.51%. Given Immatics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Immatics is more favorable than Exicure.

Profitability

This table compares Immatics and Exicure’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Immatics	-495.71%	-47.41%	-39.45%
Exicure	N/A	-237.91%	-61.98%

Volatility & Risk

Immatics has a beta of 1.36, suggesting that its stock price is 36% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Exicure has a beta of 3.64, suggesting that its stock price is 264% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Immatics beats Exicure on 8 of the 14 factors compared between 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 Exicure

Exicure, Inc., an early-stage biotechnology company, develops nucleic acid therapies targeting ribonucleic acid against validated targets. The company's preclinical candidate includes SCN9A that is in preclinical studies for the treatment of chronic pain. It also develops immuno-oncology therapeutics based on its proprietary SNA technology. Exicure, Inc. was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.