Reviewing HilleVax (NASDAQ:HLVX) & Zura Bio (NASDAQ:ZURA)

HilleVax (NASDAQ:HLVX) and Zura Bio (NASDAQ:ZURA) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares HilleVax and Zura Bio”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
HilleVax	N/A	N/A	-$123.57 million	($3.10)	-0.67
Zura Bio	N/A	N/A	-$69.24 million	N/A	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

86.4% of HilleVax shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 61.1% of Zura Bio shares are owned by institutional investors. 71.1% of HilleVax shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 22.1% of Zura Bio shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

HilleVax has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Zura Bio has a beta of -0.02, indicating that its stock price is 102% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for HilleVax and Zura Bio, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
HilleVax	0	6	0	0	2.00
Zura Bio	0	1	5	1	3.00

HilleVax currently has a consensus price target of $3.00, indicating a potential upside of 43.54%. Zura Bio has a consensus price target of $15.80, indicating a potential upside of 512.40%. Given Zura Bio’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Zura Bio is more favorable than HilleVax.

Profitability

This table compares HilleVax and Zura Bio’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
HilleVax	N/A	-67.27%	-51.99%
Zura Bio	N/A	-37.36%	-29.81%

Summary

Zura Bio beats HilleVax on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About HilleVax

HilleVax, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing novel vaccines in the United States. It develops HIL-214, a virus-like particle-based vaccine candidate for the prevention of moderate-to-severe acute gastroenteritis caused by norovirus infection. The company was formerly known as MokshaCo, Inc. and changed its name to HilleVax, Inc. in February 2021. HilleVax, Inc. was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

About Zura Bio

Zura Bio Limited, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on developing novel medicines for immune and inflammatory disorders. It develops Tibulizumab, an IgG-scFv bispecific dual-antagonist antibody engineered by the fusion of ixekizumab and tabalumab that neutralizes IL-17A and BAFF, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial development; ZB-168, a monoclonal antibody that binds and neutralizes the IL-7 receptor chain that impact on diseases driven by IL7 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin immune pathways; and Torudokimab, a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes IL33, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial development. The company is based in Henderson, Nevada.