Equillium (NASDAQ:EQ – Get Free Report) and Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS – Get Free Report) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk and valuation.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
27.1% of Equillium shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.3% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 17.8% of Equillium shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 4.8% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Equillium and Aclaris Therapeutics, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Equillium | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 2.91 |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3.11 |
Volatility & Risk
Equillium has a beta of 1.93, suggesting that its stock price is 93% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aclaris Therapeutics has a beta of 0.87, suggesting that its stock price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Equillium and Aclaris Therapeutics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Equillium | $41.10 million | 2.04 | -$22.40 million | ($0.20) | -6.62 |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | $7.83 million | 60.80 | -$64.92 million | ($0.58) | -5.87 |
Equillium has higher revenue and earnings than Aclaris Therapeutics. Equillium is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aclaris Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Equillium and Aclaris Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Equillium | N/A | -41.15% | -38.29% |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | -921.50% | -61.65% | -42.41% |
Summary
Equillium beats Aclaris Therapeutics on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Equillium
Equillium, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops and sells products to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory, or immuno-inflammatory disorders with unmet medical need. The company's lead product candidate is itolizumab (EQ001), a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that targets the immune checkpoint receptor CD6, which is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease; completed Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of ulcerative colitis; and Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of lupus nephritis. It also develops EQ101 completed phase 1/2 for treatment of cutaneous T cell lymphoma and alopecia areata; and EQ302 to treat gastrointestinal indications. In addition, it serves dermatology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, hematology, transplant science, oncology, and pulmonology area. The company was formerly known as Attenuate Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. and changed its name to Equillium, Inc. in May 2017. Equillium, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in La Jolla, California.
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.
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