Financial Comparison: BioAge Labs (NASDAQ:BIOA) and Axsome Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AXSM)

BioAge Labs (NASDAQ:BIOA) and Axsome Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AXSM) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, valuation, risk and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares BioAge Labs and Axsome Therapeutics”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
BioAge Labs	$10.36 million	24.02	-$80.61 million	($2.38)	-2.28
Axsome Therapeutics	$776.57 million	10.94	-$183.17 million	($3.75)	-43.26

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for BioAge Labs and Axsome Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
BioAge Labs	1	1	6	0	2.62
Axsome Therapeutics	1	2	17	1	2.86

BioAge Labs currently has a consensus target price of $33.00, indicating a potential upside of 508.86%. Axsome Therapeutics has a consensus target price of $275.74, indicating a potential upside of 69.98%. Given BioAge Labs’ higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe BioAge Labs is more favorable than Axsome Therapeutics.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

81.5% of Axsome Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 17.5% of BioAge Labs shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 20.6% of Axsome Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares BioAge Labs and Axsome Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
BioAge Labs	-912.26%	-28.99%	-27.09%
Axsome Therapeutics	-24.68%	-265.55%	-28.10%

Risk & Volatility

BioAge Labs has a beta of 1.08, indicating that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Axsome Therapeutics has a beta of 0.86, indicating that its share price is 14% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

BioAge Labs beats Axsome Therapeutics on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About BioAge Labs

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic product candidates for metabolic diseases, such as obesity, by targeting the biology of human aging. Our technology platform and differentiated human datasets enable us to identify promising targets based on insights into molecular changes that drive aging. Our primary focus is metabolic disease, one of the greatest global healthcare challenges. Azelaprag, our lead product candidate, is an orally available small molecule that has been well-tolerated in 265 individuals across eight Phase 1 clinical trials. In preclinical obesity models, azelaprag demonstrated the ability to more than double the weight loss induced by a glucagon-like-peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist while also restoring healthy body composition and improving muscle function. These preclinical results are supported by our Phase 1b clinical trial in older adults on bed rest where we observed decreased muscle atrophy, preservation of muscle quality and improved metabolism in subjects treated with azelaprag over a 10-day period. We plan to assess azelaprag’s potential to drive significant improvements in weight loss when combined with a GLP-1R agonist in two Phase 2 clinical trials. While the results of these preclinical studies and early clinical trials have demonstrated the potential use of azelaprag for the treatment of metabolic disease, they may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. The ongoing STRIDES clinical trial will assess azelaprag in combination with tirzepatide, marketed as Zepbound® by Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly), with topline results anticipated in the third quarter of 2025. The second Phase 2 clinical trial will assess azelaprag in combination with semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy® by Novo Nordisk, with initiation expected in the first half of 2025 and topline results expected in the second half of 2026. We believe these trials will directly support our ultimate therapeutic goal of developing an all-oral combination product for obesity. We also intend to initiate an insulin sensitivity proof-of-concept trial of azelaprag monotherapy in the first half of 2025 to support potential indication expansion. We expect to report topline results from this proof-of-concept trial in the second half of 2025. We are also developing orally available small molecule brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitors for the treatment of diseases driven by neuroinflammation. We anticipate submitting an Investigational New Drug application (IND) for an NLRP3 inhibitor in the second half of 2025 and, if cleared, initiating a Phase 1 clinical trial in the first half of 2026. Our approach: Targeting human aging biology to treat chronic metabolic diseases The burden of many serious and chronic diseases—including cardiovascular disease and diabetes—increases with age. However, there is substantial natural variation in the human population, resulting in a broad range of aging trajectories and outcomes, with some people experiencing much longer lifespans as well as delayed disease onset. We created our company to identify biological pathways associated with longer, healthier human lifespans and to develop pharmaceutical products that can modulate these pathways with the intent to prevent and reverse specific diseases, focusing on metabolic diseases. — Our approach starts with human data. We examine the impact of the molecular changes that happen naturally as people age and study how these changes drive both functional decline (e.g., loss of muscle strength) and disease risk (e.g., obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension). To develop new insights into the biological drivers of aging, we have generated proprietary longitudinal human datasets based on exclusive access to a unique resource: serial biobanked human samples coupled with health records and functional measurements collected for up to 50 years, capturing individual aging trajectories measured over several decades. We analyze these samples using state-of-the-artmolecular profiling technologies, measuring thousands of biologically relevant molecules, and then apply computational tools to the resulting data to extract potential drivers of a long and healthy lifespan. — We have selected chronic metabolic diseases as our primary focus within age related chronic diseases, given their high prevalence and resulting potential for impact on population health. Chronic metabolic diseases represent some of the largest addressable therapeutics markets. Through our approach, we expect to target outsized commercial opportunities, initially within the obesity and diabetes landscape. For instance, according to third-party estimates, the global market for GLP-1R agonists, including those used to treat diabetes, is expected to grow to $150 billion by 2031. We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on April 1, 2015, under the name BioAge Labs, Inc. Our principal executive offices are located at 1445A South 50th Street, Richmond, California.

About Axsome Therapeutics

Axsome Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of novel therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders in the United States. The company’s commercial product portfolio includes Auvelity (dextromethorphan-bupropion), a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist with multimodal activity indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder; and Sunosi (solriamfetol), a medication indicated to the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea. It is also developing AXS-05, which is in Phase III clinical trial to treat Alzheimer’s disease agitation, as well as that has completed phase II clinical trial for the treatment of smoking cessation; AXS-07, an investigational medicine that has completed Phase III trials for the acute treatment of migraine; AXS-12, an investigational medicine, which is in Phase III trial to treat narcolepsy; AXS-14, a selective and potent norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor that has completed Phase III trial for the treatment of fibromyalgia and other conditions; and solriamfetol, a dual-acting dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, which has completed a Phase 2 trial for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and is in phase 2 major depressive, binge eating, and shift work disorder. Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. has a research collaboration agreement with Duke University for evaluating AXS-05 in smoking cessation. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in New York, New York.