Atyr PHARMA (NASDAQ:ATYR – Get Free Report) and SQZ Biotechnologies (NYSE:SQZ – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability and institutional ownership.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Atyr PHARMA and SQZ Biotechnologies, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Atyr PHARMA | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3.00 |
| SQZ Biotechnologies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Atyr PHARMA currently has a consensus target price of $19.25, indicating a potential upside of 462.87%. Given Atyr PHARMA’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Atyr PHARMA is more favorable than SQZ Biotechnologies.
Earnings and Valuation
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Atyr PHARMA | $235,000.00 | 1,221.62 | -$50.39 million | ($0.94) | -3.64 |
| SQZ Biotechnologies | $18.16 million | 0.04 | -$79.46 million | ($2.61) | -0.01 |
Atyr PHARMA has higher earnings, but lower revenue than SQZ Biotechnologies. Atyr PHARMA is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than SQZ Biotechnologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility and Risk
Atyr PHARMA has a beta of 1.07, indicating that its share price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SQZ Biotechnologies has a beta of 2.34, indicating that its share price is 134% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Atyr PHARMA and SQZ Biotechnologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Atyr PHARMA | N/A | -79.44% | -59.16% |
| SQZ Biotechnologies | -369.96% | -119.83% | -59.90% |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
61.7% of Atyr PHARMA shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 38.5% of SQZ Biotechnologies shares are held by institutional investors. 3.7% of Atyr PHARMA shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 16.0% of SQZ Biotechnologies shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
Atyr PHARMA beats SQZ Biotechnologies on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Atyr PHARMA
aTyr Pharma, Inc., a biotherapeutics company, engages in the discovery and development of medicines based on novel immunological pathways in the United States. Its lead therapeutic candidate is efzofitimod, a selective modulator of NRP2 that is in Phase III clinical trial for pulmonary sarcoidosis; and in Phase 1b/2a clinical trial for treatment of other interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), such as chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis and connective tissue disease related ILD. The company is developing ATYR0101, a fusion protein derived from a domain of aspartyl-tRNA synthetase that is in preclinical development for the treatment of fibrosis; and ATYR0750, a domain of alanyl-tRNA synthetase for the treatment of liver disorders. It has collaboration and license agreement with Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the development and commercialization of efzofitimod for ILDs in Japan. aTyr Pharma, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
About SQZ Biotechnologies
SQZ Biotechnologies Company, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops cell therapies for patients with cancer, autoimmune, infectious diseases, and other serious conditions. Its lead product candidate is SQZ-PBMC-HPV, from its SQZ Antigen Presenting Cells platform, which is in a Phase I clinical trial as a monotherapy and in combination with immuno-oncology agents for the treatment of HPV16+ advanced or metastatic solid tumors, including cervical, head-and-neck, anal, penile, vulvar, and vaginal cancer. The company also develops SQZ-AAC-HPV, which is in a Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of HPV16+ advanced or metastatic solid tumors in monotherapy and in combinations with immune-oncology agents. Its additional platforms in development are SQZ Activating Antigen Carriers; and SQZ Tolerizing Antigen Carriers. The Company was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts.
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