Alkermes (NASDAQ:ALKS – Get Free Report) and Milestone Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MIST – Get Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and dividends.
Profitability
This table compares Alkermes and Milestone Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Alkermes | 22.15% | 24.92% | 14.55% |
| Milestone Pharmaceuticals | N/A | -165.26% | -55.71% |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
95.2% of Alkermes shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.2% of Milestone Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.9% of Alkermes shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.9% of Milestone Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Valuation & Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Alkermes | $1.51 billion | 3.10 | $355.76 million | $1.95 | 14.80 |
| Milestone Pharmaceuticals | $1.00 million | 105.47 | -$59.69 million | ($1.02) | -1.94 |
Alkermes has higher revenue and earnings than Milestone Pharmaceuticals. Milestone Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Alkermes, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Alkermes and Milestone Pharmaceuticals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Alkermes | 1 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 2.55 |
| Milestone Pharmaceuticals | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3.00 |
Alkermes presently has a consensus price target of $35.00, indicating a potential upside of 21.28%. Milestone Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $12.00, indicating a potential upside of 506.06%. Given Milestone Pharmaceuticals’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Milestone Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Alkermes.
Volatility and Risk
Alkermes has a beta of 0.47, suggesting that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Milestone Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 1.72, suggesting that its stock price is 72% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Alkermes beats Milestone Pharmaceuticals on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Alkermes
Alkermes plc, a biopharmaceutical company, researches, develops, and commercializes pharmaceutical products to address unmet medical needs of patients in therapeutic areas in the United States, Ireland, and internationally. It has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products for the treatment of alcohol dependence, opioid dependence, schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder and a pipeline of clinical and preclinical product candidates in development for neurological disorders. Its marketed products include ARISTADA, an intramuscular injectable suspension for the treatment of schizophrenia; ARISTADA INITIO for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults; VIVITROL for the treatment of alcohol and prevention of opioid dependence; and LYBALVI, an oral atypical antipsychotic drug candidate for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder. It has collaboration agreements primarily with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V., Janssen Pharmaceutica Inc, and Janssen Pharmaceutica International. The company also offers proprietary technology platforms to third parties to enable them to develop, commercialize, and manufacture products. Alkermes plc was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
About Milestone Pharmaceuticals
Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of cardiovascular medicines. The company's lead product candidate is etripamil, a novel and potent calcium channel blocker, which is in Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in the United States and Canada; and Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and rapid ventricular rate. It has a license and collaboration agreement with Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals to develop and commercialize etripamil prophylactic and therapeutic uses in humans, as well as with the Montreal Heart Institute, the WCN network, and other research centers. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Montréal, Canada.
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