Head-To-Head Contrast: HilleVax (NASDAQ:HLVX) vs. Fate Therapeutics (NASDAQ:FATE)

HilleVax (NASDAQ:HLVX) and Fate Therapeutics (NASDAQ:FATE) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, valuation, earnings, risk and institutional ownership.

Volatility and Risk

HilleVax has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Fate Therapeutics has a beta of 1.95, indicating that its stock price is 95% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares HilleVax and Fate Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
HilleVax	N/A	-67.27%	-51.99%
Fate Therapeutics	-1,325.43%	-45.88%	-33.95%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares HilleVax and Fate Therapeutics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
HilleVax	N/A	N/A	-$123.57 million	($3.10)	-0.60
Fate Therapeutics	$13.45 million	14.23	-$160.93 million	($1.65)	-1.02

HilleVax has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Fate Therapeutics. Fate Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than HilleVax, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

86.4% of HilleVax shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.5% of Fate Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 71.1% of HilleVax shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.0% of Fate Therapeutics shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for HilleVax and Fate Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
HilleVax	0	6	0	0	2.00
Fate Therapeutics	0	7	3	0	2.30

HilleVax currently has a consensus target price of $3.00, indicating a potential upside of 61.29%. Fate Therapeutics has a consensus target price of $6.75, indicating a potential upside of 301.79%. Given Fate Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Fate Therapeutics is more favorable than HilleVax.

Summary

Fate Therapeutics beats HilleVax on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About HilleVax

HilleVax, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing novel vaccines in the United States. It develops HIL-214, a virus-like particle-based vaccine candidate for the prevention of moderate-to-severe acute gastroenteritis caused by norovirus infection. The company was formerly known as MokshaCo, Inc. and changed its name to HilleVax, Inc. in February 2021. HilleVax, Inc. was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

About Fate Therapeutics

Fate Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops programmed cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders worldwide. The company's chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-targeted NK and T-cell product candidates include FT576 to treat multiple myeloma, and FT522, to treat lymphoma and autoimmune disorders. Its CAR T-cell programs include FT819 to treat hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, and FT825 to treat solid tumors. The company has a collaboration and option agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. for the development and commercialization of off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived CAR T-cell product candidates for the treatment of cancer. Fate Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.