5 Undervalued Pharmaceuticals Stocks for Thursday, January 25

By AAII Staff
January 25, 2024
Diamond graphic indicating best value stocks in their industry
Featured Tickers:
CLVR CPIX PMCB QLI SNDL

Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 5 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Pharmaceuticals industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Latest Pharmaceuticals Stock News

Before choosing which top Pharmaceuticals stock to buy, be sure to conduct proper due diligence: analyze various financial metrics and look at historical data, public statements and news coverage.

The outlook for the Pharmaceuticals sub-industry is positive as the world returns to normalcy and demand for electives and improved medical utilization. COVID-19 therapies, oncology and immunology are essential aspects of pharmaceutical companies. Should COVID-19 variants continue to arise getting a COVID-19 vaccine could become a seasonal phenomenon, much like the flu vaccine. If that were to happen, it would prove to be very lucrative for pharmaceutical companies, as it would generate recurring sales. Recent FDA recommendations, such as approval for a fourth booster dose for those aged 50 or older, suggests we may be moving in this direction. Generic drug makers are expected to continue to struggle due to lower-cost emerging market competition. Despite this, policy risks are on the rise. Lowering drug prices continues to be a bipartisan issue as both parties aim to offer Americans more affordable prices. While this provides uncertainty in the long-term, it is unlikely that legislation will get passed in the near future due to more pressing issues in the political agenda. Year to date through June 3, the S&P Pharmaceuticals Index was up 1.5% vs. a 13.6% decline for the S&P Composite 1500 Index. In 2021, the S&P Pharmaceuticals Index returned a gain of 21.8%, vs. a gain of 26.7% for the S&P Composite 1500.

Why Focus on Undervalued Pharmaceuticals Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

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5 Undervalued Pharmaceuticals Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 5 undervalued stocks in the Pharmaceuticals industry for Thursday, January 25, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Pharmaceuticals industry median.

Company Ticker Price/Sales Price/Earnings EV/EBITDA Shareholder Yield Price/Book Value Price/Free Cash Flow Value Grade
Clever Leaves Holdings Inc CLVR 0.25 na na (12.3%) 0.15 na A
Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CPIX 0.72 na na 1.4% 0.79 3.4 A
Pharmacyte Biotech Inc PMCB na na 5.6 57.4% 0.52 na A
Qilian International Holding Group Ltd QLI 0.30 12.5 20.2 (10.2%) 0.35 4.3 B
SNDL Inc SNDL 0.53 na na (8.8%) 0.38 na B

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

Clever Leaves Holdings Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score CLVR Industry Median
Price/Sales 10 0.25 2.31
Price/Earnings na na 26.2
EV/EBITDA na na 9.7
Shareholder Yield 81 (12.3%) (3.8%)
Price/Book Value 2 0.15 1.86
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 16.2

Clever Leaves Holdings Inc. is a multinational operator and licensed producer of pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids. The Company's segments include Cannabinoid and Non-Cannabinoid. The Cannabinoid segment is comprised of cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, commercialization, and distribution of cannabinoid products. The Non-Cannabinoid operating segment is comprised of the brands and manufacturing assets acquired as part of its acquisition of Herbal Brands. The Non-Cannabinoid segment is engaged in the business of formulating, manufacturing, marketing, selling, distributing, and otherwise commercializing wellness products and nutraceuticals, excluding cannabinoid products. Its customers for the Herbal Brands products include specialty and health retailers, mass retailers and specialty and health stores in the United States. It offers product portfolio in two categories: nutraceuticals and cannabinoids. The nutraceutical products consist of a variety of beverage and powder products.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Clever Leaves Holdings Inc has a Value Score of 82, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Clever Leaves Holdings Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.25 compared to the industry median at 2.31, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Clever Leaves Holdings Inc’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. Clever Leaves Holdings Inc’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of (3.83%). Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Clever Leaves Holdings Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.86. This could make Clever Leaves Holdings Inc more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score CPIX Industry Median
Price/Sales 27 0.72 2.31
Price/Earnings na na 26.2
EV/EBITDA na na 9.7
Shareholder Yield 35 1.4% (3.8%)
Price/Book Value 20 0.79 1.86
Price/Free Cash Flow 7 3.4 16.2

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of branded prescription pharmaceutical products. Its portfolio of brands includes Acetadote injection, for the treatment of acetaminophen poisoning; Caldolor injection, for the treatment of pain and fever, Kristalose for oral solution, a prescription laxative, for the treatment of constipation, and Omeclamox-Pak, oral, for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection and related duodenal ulcer disease. Its brands also include RediTrex injection, for the treatment of active rheumatoid, juvenile idiopathic and severe psoriatic arthritis, as well as disabling psoriasis; Sancuso transdermal, for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in patients receiving certain types of chemotherapy treatment; Vaprisol injection, to raise serum sodium levels in hospitalized patients with euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia, and Vibativ injection.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.86.

You can read more about Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Pharmacyte Biotech Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score PMCB Industry Median
Price/Sales na na 2.31
Price/Earnings na na 26.2
EV/EBITDA 25 5.6 9.7
Shareholder Yield 2 57.4% (3.8%)
Price/Book Value 11 0.52 1.86
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 16.2

PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. is a biotechnology company. The Company is focused on developing cellular therapies for cancer, diabetes, and malignant ascites based upon a cellulose-based live cell encapsulation technology known as Cell-in-a-Box. The Cell-in-a-Box encapsulation technology potentially enables genetically engineered live human cells to be used to produce various biologically active molecules. The Company’s product candidate is referred to as CypCaps. It is advancing clinical research and development of new cellular-based therapies in oncology and diabetes. It is also focused on developing therapies for pancreatic and other solid cancerous tumors by using genetically engineered live human cells. Its product candidate for the treatment of diabetes consists of encapsulated genetically modified insulin-producing cells. It is also developing therapies for cancer that involve prodrugs based upon certain constituents of the Cannabis plant.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Pharmacyte Biotech Inc has a Value Score of 99, which is considered to be undervalued.

Pharmacyte Biotech Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Pharmacyte Biotech Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.86.

You can read more about Pharmacyte Biotech Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Qilian International Holding Group Ltd’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score QLI Industry Median
Price/Sales 12 0.30 2.31
Price/Earnings 35 12.5 26.2
EV/EBITDA 83 20.2 9.7
Shareholder Yield 79 (10.2%) (3.8%)
Price/Book Value 7 0.35 1.86
Price/Free Cash Flow 10 4.3 16.2

Qilian International Holding Group Ltd is a China-based company mainly engaged in the development, manufacture, marketing and sale of licorice products, oxytetracycline products, traditional Chinese medicine derivatives (TCMD) product, heparin product, sausage casings and fertilizers. The Company operates through three segments: Oxytetracycline & Licorice Products and TCMD segment, Fertilizer segment and Heparin Products and Sausage Casing segment. Its main brand is Qilian Shan. The Company principally operates its businesses within the domestic market.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Qilian International Holding Group Ltd has a Value Score of 69, which is considered to be undervalued.

Qilian International Holding Group Ltd’s price-earnings ratio is 12.5 compared to the industry median at 26.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Qilian International Holding Group Ltd more attractive for value investors.

Qilian International Holding Group Ltd’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Qilian International Holding Group Ltd less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.86.

You can read more about Qilian International Holding Group Ltd’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

SNDL Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score SNDL Industry Median
Price/Sales 21 0.53 2.31
Price/Earnings na na 26.2
EV/EBITDA na na 9.7
Shareholder Yield 78 (8.8%) (3.8%)
Price/Book Value 7 0.38 1.86
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 16.2

SNDL Inc. is a Canada-based private-sector liquor and cannabis retailer in Canada with retail banners, which include Ace Liquor, Wine and Beyond, Liquor Depot, Value Buds, Spiritleaf, and Firesale Cannabis. Its segments include Liquor Retail, Cannabis Retail, Cannabis Operations and Investments. The Liquor Retail segment includes the sale of wines, beers and spirits through liquor stores. The Cannabis Retail segment includes the private sale of recreational cannabis through and franchise retail cannabis stores. The Cannabis Operations segment includes the cultivation, distribution and sale of cannabis for the adult-use and medical markets domestically and for export, and providing cannabis processing services, in addition to product development, manufacturing, and commercialization of cannabis consumer packaged goods. The Investments segment includes the deployment of capital to investment opportunities. Its cannabis brand portfolio includes Top Leaf, Vacay, Grasslands and others.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

SNDL Inc has a Value Score of 73, which is considered to be undervalued.

SNDL Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make SNDL Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.86.

You can read more about SNDL Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

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Other Pharmaceuticals Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Pharmaceuticals stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 5 Best Pharmaceuticals Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

  • Clever Leaves Holdings Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Pharmacyte Biotech Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Qilian International Holding Group Ltd stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • SNDL Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 5 undervalued stocks in the Pharmaceuticals industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

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Additional Resources About Pharmaceuticals Stocks

Want to learn more about Pharmaceuticals stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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