ProQR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PRQR – Get Free Report) and Beam Therapeutics (NASDAQ:BEAM – Get Free Report) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends and valuation.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
32.7% of ProQR Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.7% of Beam Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 8.4% of ProQR Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.8% of Beam Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares ProQR Therapeutics and Beam Therapeutics”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| ProQR Therapeutics | $17.99 million | 10.89 | -$47.73 million | ($0.46) | -4.04 |
| Beam Therapeutics | $139.74 million | 17.73 | -$79.99 million | ($0.86) | -27.90 |
ProQR Therapeutics has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Beam Therapeutics. Beam Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ProQR Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for ProQR Therapeutics and Beam Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| ProQR Therapeutics | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2.62 |
| Beam Therapeutics | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 2.69 |
ProQR Therapeutics currently has a consensus target price of $7.50, suggesting a potential upside of 303.23%. Beam Therapeutics has a consensus target price of $49.00, suggesting a potential upside of 104.25%. Given ProQR Therapeutics’ higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe ProQR Therapeutics is more favorable than Beam Therapeutics.
Volatility & Risk
ProQR Therapeutics has a beta of 0.06, suggesting that its stock price is 94% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Beam Therapeutics has a beta of 2.22, suggesting that its stock price is 122% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares ProQR Therapeutics and Beam Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| ProQR Therapeutics | -223.51% | -73.83% | -35.14% |
| Beam Therapeutics | -54.75% | -30.71% | -24.07% |
Summary
Beam Therapeutics beats ProQR Therapeutics on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About ProQR Therapeutics
ProQR Therapeutics N.V., a biotechnology company, focuses on the discovery and development of novel therapeutic medicines. The company's products pipeline includes AX-0810 for cholestatic diseases targeting Na-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP); and AX-1412 for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) targeting Beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (B4GALT1). It also develops various other early-stage research programs, including AX-1005 for undisclosed targets in CVDs; AX-2402, which focuses on Rett syndrome; AX-2911 for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); AX-0601 for obesity and Type 2 diabetes; and AX-9115 for rare metabolic condition, as well as various other targets. In addition, the company develops Axiomer RNA base-editing platform technology. It has a license agreement with Radboud University Medical Center; Inserm Transfert SA; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Vico Therapeutics B.V.; University of Rochester; and Leiden University Medical Center, as well as license and research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company for the discovery, development, and commercialization of potential new medicines for genetic disorders in the liver and nervous system. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Leiden, the Netherlands.
About Beam Therapeutics
Beam Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in the development of precision genetic medicines for patients suffering from serious diseases in the United States. It develops BEAM-101 for the treatment of sickle cell disease or beta-thalassemia; and BEAM-302, a liver-targeting LNP formulation to treat severe alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency; BEAM-201, an anti-CD7 CAR-T product candidate, which is in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma; and BEAM-301, a liver-targeting LNP formulation for the treatment of glycogen storage disease 1a. The company has research collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc., focus on in vivo base editing programs for targets rare genetic diseases of the liver, muscle, and central nervous system; Apellis Pharmaceuticals to conduct preclinical research on target specific genes within the complement system in various organs, including the eye, liver, and brain; Verve Therapeutics, Inc., for cardiovascular disease treatments; Sana Biotechnology, Inc., to research, develop, and commercialize rights to CRISPR Cas12b for cell therapy programs; and Orbital Therapeutics design RNA for the prevention, treatment or diagnosis of human disease. Beam Therapeutics Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Receive News & Ratings for ProQR Therapeutics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ProQR Therapeutics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
