Head to Head Contrast: Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA) versus Fresh Tracks Therapeutics (NASDAQ:FRTX)

Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA) and Fresh Tracks Therapeutics (NASDAQ:FRTX) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Risk and Volatility

Atara Biotherapeutics has a beta of 0.55, meaning that its stock price is 45% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Fresh Tracks Therapeutics has a beta of 0.5, meaning that its stock price is 50% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Atara Biotherapeutics and Fresh Tracks Therapeutics”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Atara Biotherapeutics	$100.44 million	0.56	-$276.13 million	($25.78)	-0.38
Fresh Tracks Therapeutics	$10.06 million	0.44	-$5.69 million	($1.41)	-0.53

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Atara Biotherapeutics and Fresh Tracks Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Atara Biotherapeutics	1	1	2	1	2.60
Fresh Tracks Therapeutics	0	0	0	0	0.00

Atara Biotherapeutics currently has a consensus price target of $16.67, indicating a potential upside of 69.89%. Given Atara Biotherapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Atara Biotherapeutics is more favorable than Fresh Tracks Therapeutics.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

70.9% of Atara Biotherapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 25.0% of Fresh Tracks Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 3.7% of Atara Biotherapeutics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Fresh Tracks Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Atara Biotherapeutics and Fresh Tracks Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Atara Biotherapeutics	-132.58%	N/A	-90.16%
Fresh Tracks Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Atara Biotherapeutics beats Fresh Tracks Therapeutics on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Atara Biotherapeutics

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. engages in the development of transformative therapies for patients with solid tumors, hematologic cancers, and autoimmune diseases in the United States and the United Kingdom. Its lead product includes Tab-cel (tabelecleucel), a T-cell immunotherapy program that is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of epstein-barr virus (EBV) driven post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, as well as nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Its CAR T immunotherapy pipeline products include ATA3219, currently in Phase 1 trials, as well as ATA3431, under preclinical trials for the treatment of B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases; and ATA188 that is in Phase 2 clinical trials to treat multiple sclerosis. The company has research collaboration agreements with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Council of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California.

About Fresh Tracks Therapeutics

Fresh Tracks Therapeutics, Inc. does not have significant operations. Previously, the company was engaged in the development of various prescription therapeutics for the treatment of autoimmune, inflammatory, and other debilitating diseases in the United States. Fresh Tracks Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.