Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 4 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Biotechnology & Medical Research 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.
Why Focus on Undervalued Biotechnology & Medical Research 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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4 Undervalued Biotechnology & Medical Research Stocks
Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 4 undervalued stocks in the Biotechnology & Medical Research industry for Thursday, April 04, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Biotechnology & Medical Research industry median.
| Company | Ticker | Price/Sales | Price/Earnings | EV/EBITDA | Shareholder Yield | Price/Book Value | Price/Free Cash Flow | Value Grade |
| AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA) | AEZS | 2.27 | na | 1.2 | 0.0% | 0.56 | na | A |
| Disc Medicine Inc | IRON | na | na | 0.9 | 72.4% | 0.42 | na | A |
| Spero Therapeutics Inc | SPRO | 0.91 | 4.4 | na | (8.5%) | 0.89 | na | B |
| Theriva Biologics Inc | TOVX | na | na | 0.6 | (8.2%) | 0.21 | na | A |
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.
AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA)’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | AEZS | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 60 | 2.27 | 8.80 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 27.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 3 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Shareholder Yield | 49 | 0.0% | (10.5%) |
| Price/Book Value | 11 | 0.56 | 2.28 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 27.5 |
Aeterna Zentaris Inc. is a Canada-based specialty biopharmaceutical company. The Company is developing and commercializing a diversified portfolio of pharmaceutical and diagnostic products focused on areas of significant unmet medical need. The Company's lead product, macimorelin (Macrilen, Ghryvelin), is an oral test indicated for the diagnosis of adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD). The Company is also leveraging the clinical and compelling safety profile of macimorelin to develop it for the diagnosis of childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency (CGHD). The Company is engaged in the development of its therapeutic asset and has established a pre-clinical development pipeline to potentially address unmet medical needs across a number of indications, including neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), Parkinson's disease (PD), hypoparathyroidism and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Its therapeutic development pipeline includes AIM Biologicals, AEZS-150 and AEZS-130.
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.
AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA) has a Value Score of 81, which is considered to be undervalued.
When you look at AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA)’s price-to-sales ratio at 2.27 compared to the industry median at 8.80, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA)’s stock more attractive for value investors.
Now, let’s assess AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA)’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 1.2, when compared to the industry median of 1.1, the company may be considered overvalued in relation to its peers. Value investors could use the enterprise multiple to identify stocks that are considered overvalued or undervalued relative to their industry.
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. AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA)’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of (10.47%). 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. AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA)’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 2.28. This could make AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA) more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.
Disc Medicine Inc’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | IRON | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | na | na | 8.80 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 27.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 3 | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Shareholder Yield | 1 | 72.4% | (10.5%) |
| Price/Book Value | 8 | 0.42 | 2.28 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 27.5 |
Disc Medicine, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from serious hematologic diseases. The Company's pipeline includes bitopertin for the treatment of erythropoietic porphyrias (Eps) including erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and X-linked protoporphyria (XLP), and Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA); DISC-0974 for the treatment of anemia of myelofibrosis (MF), and anemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and DISC-3405 (formerly MWTX-003) for the treatment of polycythemia vera (PV) and other hematologic disorders. In addition, its preclinical programs also include DISC-0998, for the treatment of anemia associated with inflammatory diseases. Bitopertin is the lead product candidate in the Company's heme biosynthesis modulation portfolio. It is developing DISC-3405, a monoclonal antibody against Transmembrane Serine Protease 6 that it licensed from Mabwell Therapeutics, Inc.
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.
Disc Medicine Inc has a Value Score of 100, which is considered to be undervalued.
Disc Medicine Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Disc Medicine Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.28.
You can read more about Disc Medicine 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.
Spero Therapeutics Inc’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | SPRO | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 31 | 0.91 | 8.80 |
| Price/Earnings | 5 | 4.4 | 27.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 1.1 |
| Shareholder Yield | 78 | (8.5%) | (10.5%) |
| Price/Book Value | 24 | 0.89 | 2.28 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 27.5 |
Spero Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on focused on identifying and developing novel treatments for rare diseases and multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections with unmet need. Its lead product candidate, SPR720, is an oral antimicrobial agent in development for the treatment of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease, a rare orphan disease. Its partnership-directed programs consist of tebipenem HBr and SPR206. The tebipenem HBr is designed to be the oral carbapenem-class antibiotic for use to treat certain bacterial infections that cause complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs), including pyelonephritis, caused by certain microorganisms, in adult patients who have limited oral treatment options. SPR206 is a direct acting intravenous (IV)-administered product candidate being developed as an option to treat MDR Gram-negative bacterial infections in the hospital setting.
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.
Spero Therapeutics Inc has a Value Score of 75, which is considered to be undervalued.
Spero Therapeutics Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 4.4 compared to the industry median at 27.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Spero Therapeutics Inc more attractive for value investors.
Spero Therapeutics Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Spero Therapeutics Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.28.
You can read more about Spero Therapeutics 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.
Theriva Biologics Inc’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | TOVX | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | na | na | 8.80 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 27.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 2 | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| Shareholder Yield | 78 | (8.2%) | (10.5%) |
| Price/Book Value | 3 | 0.21 | 2.28 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 27.5 |
Theriva Biologics, Inc. is a diversified clinical-stage company developing therapeutics designed to treat cancer and related diseases in areas of high unmet need. It is advancing a new oncolytic adenovirus platform. Its candidates are VCN-01, SYN-004 (ribaxamase) and SYN-020. VCN-01 is an oncolytic adenovirus designed to replicate selectively and aggressively within tumor cells, and to degrade the tumor stroma barrier that serves as a significant physical and immunosuppressive barrier to cancer treatment. SYN-004 (ribaxamase) is designed to degrade certain commonly used intravenous beta-lactam antibiotics within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to prevent microbiome damage. SYN-020 is a recombinant oral formulation of the enzyme intestinal alkaline phosphatase produced under current good manufacturing practice conditions and intended to treat both local GI and systemic diseases. Its research programs include VCN-11 Albumin Shield Technology and SYN-006, SYN-007, other oncolytic virus.
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.
Theriva Biologics Inc has a Value Score of 86, which is considered to be undervalued.
Theriva Biologics Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Theriva Biologics Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.28.
You can read more about Theriva Biologics 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.
Other Biotechnology & Medical Research 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 Biotechnology & Medical Research stocks as well as other industrys.
Choosing Which of the 4 Best Biotechnology & Medical Research 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.
- AEterna Zentaris Inc. (USA) stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Disc Medicine Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Spero Therapeutics Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Theriva Biologics Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 4 undervalued stocks in the Biotechnology & Medical Research 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.
Additional Resources About Biotechnology & Medical Research Stocks
Want to learn more about Biotechnology & Medical Research 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.
- 4 Undervalued Biotechnology & Medical Research Stocks for Thursday, April 04
- 5 Undervalued Biotechnology & Medical Research Stocks for Wednesday, April 03
- Why Centessa Pharmaceuticals PLC - ADR’s (CNTA) Stock Is Down 4.50%
- Why Exscientia PLC (ADR)’s (EXAI) Stock Is Down 6.05%
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