Head-To-Head Analysis: Syndax Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SNDX) and BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX)

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) and Syndax Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SNDX) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares BioCryst Pharmaceuticals and Syndax Pharmaceuticals”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals	$874.84 million	2.23	$263.86 million	($1.50)	-5.10
Syndax Pharmaceuticals	$172.35 million	6.89	-$285.42 million	($2.51)	-5.34

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has higher revenue and earnings than Syndax Pharmaceuticals. Syndax Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for BioCryst Pharmaceuticals and Syndax Pharmaceuticals, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals	1	4	6	0	2.45
Syndax Pharmaceuticals	1	0	10	0	2.82

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus price target of $19.44, suggesting a potential upside of 154.18%. Syndax Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $41.80, suggesting a potential upside of 211.94%. Given Syndax Pharmaceuticals’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Syndax Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than BioCryst Pharmaceuticals.

Profitability

This table compares BioCryst Pharmaceuticals and Syndax Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals	-40.90%	-86.89%	66.37%
Syndax Pharmaceuticals	-87.52%	-372.94%	-39.11%

Risk and Volatility

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.55, suggesting that its share price is 45% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Syndax Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.42, suggesting that its share price is 58% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

85.9% of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. 3.8% of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.8% of Syndax Pharmaceuticals shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals beats Syndax Pharmaceuticals on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company, develops oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics to treat rare diseases. The company markets peramivir injection, an intravenous neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza under the RAPIVAB, RAPIACTA, and PERAMIFLU names; and ORLADEYO, an oral serine protease inhibitor to treat hereditary angioedema. It is also developing BCX10013, an oral factor D inhibitor for complement-mediated diseases. The company has collaborations and in-license relationships with the Torii Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Seqirus UK Limited; Shionogi & Co., Ltd.; Green Cross Corporation; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and The University of Alabama at Birmingham, as well as Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Industrial Research, Ltd. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.

About Syndax Pharmaceuticals

Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops therapies for the treatment of cancer. Its lead product candidates are revumenib, a potent, selective, small molecule inhibitor of the menin-MLL binding interaction for the treatment of KMT2A rearranged, acute leukemias, and solid tumor; and SNDX-6352 or axatilimab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the colony stimulating factor 1, or CSF-1 receptor for the treatment of patients with chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The company is also developing Entinostat. It has an agreement with Eddingpharm International Company Limited for licensing, development, and commercialization of Entinostat. Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.