Head-To-Head Review: Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) and Janux Therapeutics (NASDAQ:JANX)

Janux Therapeutics (NASDAQ:JANX) and Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and valuation.

Volatility and Risk

Janux Therapeutics has a beta of 2.53, suggesting that its share price is 153% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aclaris Therapeutics has a beta of 0.79, suggesting that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

75.4% of Janux Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.3% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.9% of Janux Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.8% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Janux Therapeutics and Aclaris Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Janux Therapeutics	N/A	-11.89%	-11.13%
Aclaris Therapeutics	-921.50%	-61.65%	-42.41%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Janux Therapeutics and Aclaris Therapeutics”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Janux Therapeutics	$10.00 million	106.57	-$113.62 million	($1.64)	-10.63
Aclaris Therapeutics	$7.83 million	99.77	-$64.92 million	($0.58)	-9.63

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Janux Therapeutics and Aclaris Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Janux Therapeutics	2	2	10	1	2.67
Aclaris Therapeutics	1	0	5	3	3.11

Janux Therapeutics presently has a consensus price target of $36.46, suggesting a potential upside of 109.19%. Aclaris Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $11.33, suggesting a potential upside of 102.85%. Given Janux Therapeutics’ higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Janux Therapeutics is more favorable than Aclaris Therapeutics.

Summary

Janux Therapeutics beats Aclaris Therapeutics on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Janux Therapeutics

Janux Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, develops immunotherapies based on Tumor Activated T Cell Engagers (TRACTr) and Tumor Activated Immunomodulators (TRACIr) platforms technology to treat patients suffering from cancer. The company's clinical candidates comprise JANX007, a prostate-specific membrane antigen or PSMA-TRACTr, which is in Phase 1 clinical trial in adults for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and the vasculature of other tumors; and JANX008, an epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR-TRACTr that is in Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of multiple solid cancers, including colorectal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, non-small cell lung cancer, and renal cell carcinoma. Its development pipeline also consists of discovery stage products. The company has strategic research collaboration agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. to develop TRACTr product candidates. Janux Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in San Diego, 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.