7 Undervalued Biotechnology & Medical Research Stocks for Tuesday, February 21

By Cynthia McLaughlin
February 21, 2023
Diamond graphic indicating best value stocks in their industry
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Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 7 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.

Latest Biotechnology & Medical Research Stock News

Before choosing which top Biotechnology & Medical Research 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 Biotechnology and Medical Research sub-industry has a positive outlook, a historically defensive sub-industry. Drug sales are anticipated to have high growth, primarily driven by COVID-19 therapeutics, the continued adoption of many new and innovative therapies, a favorable M&A environment, and a low prevalence of patent expirations in 2022. Additionally, companies could see prescription growth pick up as in-person physician visits return to pre-pandemic levels. As COVID-19 variants have emerged, vaccine boosters have been offered in order to increase efficacy. Due to this, repeat vaccinations will likely be necessary for lifelong immunity which would provide a long-lasting and significant source of revenue for lead vaccine developers. Aside from vaccines, the biotech industry is dependent on the volume of new therapy approvals. The FDA’s heavy focus on COVID-19 could slow the approvals on non-COVID-19 therapies. Despite this, the biotech industry will likely see promising sales growth over the next five years as it usually takes at least five years for new drugs to reach peak sales levels. Approval activity has also been on the rise recently. Mergers and acquisitions activity is expected to remain low as a more activist Federal Trade Commission (led by Lina Khan) could be more skeptical of proposed mergers. Year to date through June 30, the S&P 1500 Biotech Index was down 1.6%, vs. a 20.5% decline for the S&P 1500 Composite Index. In 2021, the Biotech Index rose 8.2%, vs. a 26.7% gain for the Composite Index.

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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7 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 7 undervalued stocks in the Biotechnology & Medical Research industry for Tuesday, February 21, 2023. 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
Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc AVIR 1.84 11.9 5.4 (0.5%) 0.53 na B
Compugen Ltd. (USA) CGEN na na 0.8 (3.2%) 0.88 na A
Dermata Therapeutics Inc DRMA na na 0.2 (146.5%) 0.47 na B
Nabriva Therapeutics PLC - ADR NBRV 0.14 na na (35.2%) 0.19 na A
NuCana PLC (ADR) NCNA na na 0.2 3.6% 1.30 na A
Polarityte Inc PTE 3.03 na 0.3 (121.9%) 0.33 na B
Virios Therapeutics Inc VIRI na na 0.2 (120.0%) 0.70 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.

Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score AVIR Industry Median
Price/Sales 48 1.84 10.28
Price/Earnings 36 11.9 12.5
EV/EBITDA 24 5.4 0.8
Shareholder Yield 52 (0.5%) (5.2%)
Price/Book Value 9 0.53 1.68
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 19.2

Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing antiviral therapeutics to enhance the lives of patients suffering from life-threatening viral infections. The Company is engaged in the development of product candidates to treat COVID-19, hepatitis C virus (HCV), dengue and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The Company is developing bemnifosbuvir (AT-527), which is an investigational, novel, orally administered guanosine nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor for the treatment of COVID-19. It is developing bemnifosbuvir and ruzasvir, an investigational nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) inhibitor for the treatment of chronic HCV infection. The Company is also developing AT-752, an oral, purine nucleotide prodrug for the treatment of dengue. AT-527 is designed to inhibit viral replication by interfering with viral RNA polymerase.

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.

Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc has a Value Score of 78, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 1.84 compared to the industry median at 10.28, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 11.88 compared to the industry median at 12.53. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 5.4, when compared to the industry median of 0.8, 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. Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of (5.16%). 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. Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.68. This could make Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Compugen Ltd. (USA)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score CGEN Industry Median
Price/Sales na na 10.28
Price/Earnings na na 12.5
EV/EBITDA 3 0.8 0.8
Shareholder Yield 68 (3.2%) (5.2%)
Price/Book Value 21 0.88 1.68
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 19.2

Compugen Ltd. is a therapeutic discovery company. The Company focuses on infrastructure to discover drug targets and develop therapeutics. The Company is engaged in the research, development and commercialization of therapeutic and product candidates. The Company's pipeline primarily consists of early and preclinical stage immuno-oncology programs based on drug targets discovered by the Company, primarily immune checkpoint and myeloid protein target candidates. These programs are focused on the development of cancer immunotherapy drugs with potential to harness the immune system to provide treatment solutions in areas of unmet medical needs in various cancer types and patient populations, both as monotherapy and in combination with other drugs. Its pipeline also includes a preclinical stage fusion protein autoimmune product candidate. Its fields of focus are oncology and immunology, with emphasis on its discovery capabilities on immuno-oncology.

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.

Compugen Ltd. (USA) has a Value Score of 83, which is considered to be undervalued.

Compugen Ltd. (USA)’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Compugen Ltd. (USA) less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.68.

You can read more about Compugen Ltd. (USA)’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.

Dermata Therapeutics Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score DRMA Industry Median
Price/Sales na na 10.28
Price/Earnings na na 12.5
EV/EBITDA 0 0.2 0.8
Shareholder Yield 97 (146.5%) (5.2%)
Price/Book Value 8 0.47 1.68
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 19.2

Dermata Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage medical dermatology company. The Company is focused on identifying, developing, and commercializing pharmaceutical product candidates for the treatment of medical and aesthetic skin conditions and diseases. Its products candidates, DMT310 and DMT410. Its lead product candidate DMT310, is intended to utilize its Spongilla technology for a once weekly treatment of a variety of skin diseases with its initial focus being for the treatment of acne vulgaris. DMT310 is in Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of rosacea. Its second product candidate utilizing its Spongilla technology is its combination treatment, DMT410. DMT410 is intended to consist of one treatment of its sponge powder followed by one topical application of botulinum toxin for delivery into the dermis. DMT410 Phase I POC trial of DMT410 for the treatment of multiple aesthetic skin conditions.

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.

Dermata Therapeutics Inc has a Value Score of 76, which is considered to be undervalued.

Dermata Therapeutics Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Dermata Therapeutics Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.68.

You can read more about Dermata 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.

Nabriva Therapeutics PLC - ADR’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score NBRV Industry Median
Price/Sales 3 0.14 10.28
Price/Earnings na na 12.5
EV/EBITDA na na 0.8
Shareholder Yield 91 (35.2%) (5.2%)
Price/Book Value 2 0.19 1.68
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 19.2

Nabriva Therapeutics plc is a biopharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in the commercialization and research and development of anti-infective agents to treat serious infections. Its products include SIVEXTRO and XENLETA, as well as one development product candidate, CONTEPO. SIVEXTRO product is an oxazolidinone class antibiotic to treat susceptible Gram-positive pathogens, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). XENLETA product is designed to inhibit the synthesis of a specific protein on the bacterial ribosome, which is required for bacteria to grow, by binding with high affinity and specificity at molecular targets that are different than other available antibiotic classes causing cell death. CONTEPO is an investigational IV antibiotic in the United States with a spectrum of Gram-negative and Gram-positive activity, including activity against MDR strains, such as extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-, or ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

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.

Nabriva Therapeutics PLC - ADR has a Value Score of 81, which is considered to be undervalued.

Nabriva Therapeutics PLC - ADR’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Nabriva Therapeutics PLC - ADR less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.68.

You can read more about Nabriva Therapeutics PLC - ADR’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.

NuCana PLC (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score NCNA Industry Median
Price/Sales na na 10.28
Price/Earnings na na 12.5
EV/EBITDA 0 0.2 0.8
Shareholder Yield 22 3.6% (5.2%)
Price/Book Value 37 1.30 1.68
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 19.2

NuCana plc is a United Kingdom-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on developing treatments for cancer patients using its ProTide technology. ProTide are designed to overcome cancer resistance mechanism and generate anti-cancer metabolites in cancer cells. The Company's pipeline includes Acelari, NUC-3373, and NUC-7738. Its ProTide candidates Acelari and NUC-3373 are chemical entities derived from the nucleotide analog and 5- fluorouracil, which are used as chemotherapy agents for the treatment of cancer. Acelari is in a Phase III study for patients with biliary tract cancer. NUC-3373 is in Phase I study for the treatment of a range of patients with solid tumors and a Phase I b study for patient with metastatic colorectal cancer. Its third ProTide candidate, NUC-7738, is a nucleotide analog (3’-deoxyadenosine) and is in Phase I study for patients with solid tumors.

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.

NuCana PLC (ADR) has a Value Score of 95, which is considered to be undervalued.

NuCana PLC (ADR)’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make NuCana PLC (ADR) less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.68.

You can read more about NuCana PLC (ADR)’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.

Polarityte Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score PTE Industry Median
Price/Sales 64 3.03 10.28
Price/Earnings na na 12.5
EV/EBITDA 1 0.3 0.8
Shareholder Yield 97 (121.9%) (5.2%)
Price/Book Value 5 0.33 1.68
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 19.2

PolarityTE, Inc. is a biotechnology company. The Company is focused on developing regenerative tissue products and biomaterials. It also operates a laboratory testing and clinical research business using equipment, personnel, and facilities it acquired to advance its development of regenerative tissue products. Its first regenerative tissue product is SkinTE, which is intended for the repair, reconstruction, replacement, and supplementation of skin in patients who have a need for treatment of acute or chronic wounds, burns, surgical reconstruction events, scar revision, or removal of dysfunctional skin grafts. The Company's development projects include SkinTE Cryo, SkinTE point-of-care device, PTE 11000, 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.

Polarityte Inc has a Value Score of 64, which is considered to be undervalued.

Polarityte Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Polarityte Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.68.

You can read more about Polarityte 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.

Virios Therapeutics Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score VIRI Industry Median
Price/Sales na na 10.28
Price/Earnings na na 12.5
EV/EBITDA 1 0.2 0.8
Shareholder Yield 97 (120.0%) (5.2%)
Price/Book Value 14 0.70 1.68
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 19.2

Virios Therapeutics, Inc. is a development-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing antiviral therapies to treat debilitating chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia (FM). The Company’s lead development candidate is IMC-1, which is a fixed dose combination of famciclovir, and celecoxib designed to synergistically suppress herpes virus replication. IMC-1 combines these two specific mechanisms of action purposely designed to inhibit herpes virus activation and replication. The Company’s pipeline product includes IMC-2 (valacyclovir and celecoxib), which is in the Phase 1 development stage. IMC-2 (valacyclovir and celecoxib) is developed for treatment of managing the fatigue, sleep, attention, pain, autonomic function, and anxiety associated with Long-COVID or Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).

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.

Virios Therapeutics Inc has a Value Score of 72, which is considered to be undervalued.

Virios Therapeutics Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Virios Therapeutics Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.68.

You can read more about Virios 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.

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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 7 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.

  • Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Compugen Ltd. (USA) stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Dermata Therapeutics Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Nabriva Therapeutics PLC - ADR stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • NuCana PLC (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Polarityte Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Virios Therapeutics Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 7 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.

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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.

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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