Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 6 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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6 Undervalued Pharmaceuticals Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 6 undervalued stocks in the Pharmaceuticals industry for Friday, October 13, 2023. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Pharmaceuticals industry median.

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.

Aurora Cannabis Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Aurora Cannabis Inc. is a Canada-based medical cannabis company. The Company's principal business lines are focused on the production, distribution, and sale of cannabis related products in Canada and internationally. The Company’s segments include Canadian Cannabis, European Cannabis and Plant Propagation. The Company's adult-use brand portfolio includes Aurora Drift, San Rafael '71, Daily Special, Whistler, Being and Greybeard, as well as CBD brands, Reliva and KG7. Its medical cannabis brands include MedReleaf, CanniMed, Aurora and Whistler Medical Marijuana Co, as well as international brands, Pedanios, Bidiol and CraftPlant. Its cannabis products are primarily cultivated and manufactured in the facilities in Bradford Ontario, Pemberton, British Columbia, and Odense, Denmark. The Company is focused on offering its cannabis products to global medical cannabis market, recreational cannabis market and global hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) markets.

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.

Aurora Cannabis Inc has a Value Score of 61, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Aurora Cannabis Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.71 compared to the industry median at 2.72, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Aurora Cannabis 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. Aurora Cannabis Inc’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of (3.87%). 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. Aurora Cannabis Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.74. This could make Aurora Cannabis Inc more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Aptinyx Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Aptinyx, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of proprietary, synthetic small molecules for the treatment of brain and nervous system disorders. The Company focuses on targeting and modulating N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, (NMDArs), which are vital to the normal and effective function of the brain and nervous system. The Company's NYX-783 is in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD), and in preclinical development for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. NYX-783 modulates NMDA receptors to increase glutamatergic activity in key regions and may act to enhance extinction learning and alleviate the emotional symptoms of opioid withdrawal. The Company's NMDAr modulator discovery platform builds on NMDAr biology. The platform has the potential to develop into a broad pipeline and product portfolio across an array of disorders of the brain and nervous system.

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.

Aptinyx Inc has a Value Score of 97, which is considered to be undervalued.

Aptinyx Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Aptinyx Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.74.

You can read more about Aptinyx 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.

Elanco Animal Health Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated is an animal health company. The Company is focused in delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. Its portfolio serves animals across its core species consisting of dogs, cats and cattle, poultry, swine, sheep and aqua. It offers products in two primary categories: Pet Health and Farm Animal. Its Pet Health portfolio is focused on parasiticides, vaccines and therapeutics. Its parasiticide portfolios in the pet health sector include species and formulations, with products that protect pets from worms, fleas and ticks. Its over-the-counter treatments include Seresto, Advantage, Advantix, Advocate, Credelio, Interceptor Plus and Trifexis. Its Farm Animal portfolio consists of products designed to prevent, control and treat health challenges primarily focused on cattle. Its products include medicated feed additives, antibiotics, vaccines, such as Rumensin and Baytril. Its poultry products are Maxiban 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.

Elanco Animal Health Inc has a Value Score of 63, which is considered to be undervalued.

Elanco Animal Health Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Elanco Animal Health Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.74.

You can read more about Elanco Animal Health 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.

McKesson Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

McKesson Corporation is a provider of diversified healthcare services. The Company is engaged in advancing health outcomes for patients everywhere. Its U.S. Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded, generic, specialty, biosimilar, and over the counter (OTC) pharmaceutical drugs and other healthcare-related products in the United States. Its Prescription Technology Solutions segment helps solve medication access, affordability, and adherence challenges for patients by working across healthcare to connect patients, pharmacies, providers, pharmacy benefit managers, health plans, and biopharma companies. Its Medical-Surgical Solutions segment provides medical-surgical supply distribution, logistics, and other services to healthcare providers, including physician offices, surgery centers, nursing homes, hospital reference labs, and home healthcare agencies. Its International segment provides distribution and services to wholesale, institutional, and retail customers in Europe and Canada.

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.

McKesson Corp has a Value Score of 71, which is considered to be undervalued.

McKesson Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 17.1 compared to the industry median at 18.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes McKesson Corp more attractive for value investors.

You can read more about McKesson Corp’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.

Nektar Therapeutics’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Nektar Therapeutics is a clinical-stage, research-based drug discovery biopharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on discovering and developing medicines in the field of immunotherapy. The Company has a research and development pipeline of investigational medicines in oncology and immunology. In oncology, it is focused on developing medicines based on targeting biological pathways that stimulate and sustain the body?s immune response to fight cancer. Its pipeline NKTR-255 is an investigational biologic that is designed to target the interleukin-15 (IL-15) pathway in order to activate the body?s innate and adaptive immunity. Its Rezpegaldesleukin (REZPEG) pipeline is an investigational, potential first-in-class T regulatory cell stimulator that addresses this underlying immune system imbalance in people with many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. REZPEG is being developed as a self-administered injection for a number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

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.

Nektar Therapeutics has a Value Score of 68, which is considered to be undervalued.

Nektar Therapeutics’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Nektar Therapeutics less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.74.

You can read more about Nektar Therapeutics’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.

SCYNEXIS Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

SCYNEXIS, Inc. is a biotechnology company. The Company is developing its lead product candidate, ibrexafungerp, as a broad-spectrum, intravenous (IV)/oral agent for multiple fungal indications in both the community and hospital settings. Its Ibrexafungerp has demonstrated activity against a large collection of medically relevant strains of Candida and Aspergillus genera, including multidrug-resistant strains, as well as Pneumocystis, Coccidioides, Histoplasma and Blastomyces genera. The Company has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the New Drug Application (NDA) for BREXAFEMME (ibrexafungerp tablets) for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC, also known as vaginal yeast infection), and for the reduction in the incidence of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC), respectively.

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.

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

SCYNEXIS Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 2.5 compared to the industry median at 18.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes SCYNEXIS Inc more attractive for value investors.

SCYNEXIS Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make SCYNEXIS Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.74.

You can read more about SCYNEXIS 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 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 6 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.

• Aurora Cannabis Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Aptinyx Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Elanco Animal Health Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• McKesson Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Nektar Therapeutics stock has a Value Grade of B.
• SCYNEXIS Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 6 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.

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.

• 6 Undervalued Pharmaceuticals Stocks for Friday, October 13
• 5 Undervalued Pharmaceuticals Stocks for Thursday, October 12
• Why Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc’s (AMPH) Stock Is Down 4.75%
• Why Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc’s (AMLX) Stock Is Down 4.60%

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.