AlloVir (NASDAQ:ALVR) vs. Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) Critical Comparison

AlloVir (NASDAQ:ALVR) and Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX) are both medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

66.1% of AlloVir shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.8% of Vaxcyte shares are owned by institutional investors. 33.8% of AlloVir shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of Vaxcyte shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares AlloVir and Vaxcyte’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
AlloVir	N/A	N/A	-$190.42 million	($1.66)	-0.47
Vaxcyte	N/A	N/A	-$402.27 million	($4.28)	-18.52

Vaxcyte is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AlloVir, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares AlloVir and Vaxcyte’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AlloVir	N/A	-98.50%	-78.56%
Vaxcyte	N/A	-30.07%	-28.08%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for AlloVir and Vaxcyte, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AlloVir	2	3	0	0	1.60
Vaxcyte	0	0	4	0	3.00

Vaxcyte has a consensus target price of $81.33, indicating a potential upside of 2.59%. Given Vaxcyte’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Vaxcyte is more favorable than AlloVir.

Volatility & Risk

AlloVir has a beta of 0.78, suggesting that its share price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vaxcyte has a beta of 0.97, suggesting that its share price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Vaxcyte beats AlloVir on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About AlloVir

Allovir, Inc., a clinical-stage cell therapy company, engages in the research and development of allogeneic, off-the-shelf multi-virus specific T cell (VST) therapies to prevent and treat devastating viral-associated diseases. The company's lead product is posoleucel, an allogeneic, off-the-shelf VST therapy, to treat BK virus, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, human herpesvirus 6, and JC virus. Its preclinical and clinical development product candidates include ALVR106 for the respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, parainfluenza virus, and human metapneumovirus; ALVR109 to treat SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19; ALVR107 for treating hepatitis B; and ALVR108. The company was formerly known as ViraCyte, Inc. and changed its name to Allovir, Inc. in May 2019. The company was incorporated in 2013 and is based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

About Vaxcyte

Vaxcyte, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology vaccine company, develops novel protein vaccines to prevent or treat bacterial infectious diseases. Its lead vaccine candidate is VAX-24, a 24-valent investigational pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease. The company also develops VAX-31 to protect against emerging strains and to help address antibiotic resistance; VAX-A1, a novel conjugate vaccine candidate to prevent disease caused by Group A Streptococcus; VAX-PG, a novel protein vaccine candidate targeting keystone pathogen responsible for periodontitis; and VAX-GI to prevent Shigella, a bacterial illness. The company was formerly known as SutroVax, Inc. and changed its name to Vaxcyte, Inc. in May 2020. Vaxcyte, Inc. was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in San Carlos, California.