Evaxion A/S (NASDAQ:EVAX) vs. Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Head-To-Head Survey
by Sarita Garza · The Markets DailyArbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS – Get Free Report) and Evaxion A/S (NASDAQ:EVAX – Get Free Report) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, valuation and analyst recommendations.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
43.8% of Arbutus Biopharma shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 11.0% of Evaxion A/S shares are owned by institutional investors. 19.9% of Arbutus Biopharma shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 41.6% of Evaxion A/S shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Arbutus Biopharma and Evaxion A/S’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Arbutus Biopharma | 84.22% | 90.98% | 82.34% |
| Evaxion A/S | N/A | -61.43% | -34.23% |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Arbutus Biopharma and Evaxion A/S”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Arbutus Biopharma | $14.08 million | 60.36 | -$33.50 million | $0.79 | 5.43 |
| Evaxion A/S | $7.53 million | 3.35 | -$7.71 million | ($1.21) | -2.31 |
Evaxion A/S has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Arbutus Biopharma. Evaxion A/S is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Arbutus Biopharma, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk & Volatility
Arbutus Biopharma has a beta of 0.76, suggesting that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Evaxion A/S has a beta of 0.5, suggesting that its share price is 50% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Arbutus Biopharma and Evaxion A/S, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Arbutus Biopharma | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Evaxion A/S | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2.67 |
Arbutus Biopharma currently has a consensus target price of $5.00, suggesting a potential upside of 16.55%. Evaxion A/S has a consensus target price of $11.00, suggesting a potential upside of 292.86%. Given Evaxion A/S’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Evaxion A/S is more favorable than Arbutus Biopharma.
Summary
Arbutus Biopharma beats Evaxion A/S on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Arbutus Biopharma
Arbutus Biopharma Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, develops novel therapeutics for chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the United States. Its HBV product pipeline consists of imdusiran (AB-729), a proprietary subcutaneously-delivered RNAi therapeutic product candidate that suppresses all HBV antigens, including HBsAg expression. The company’s research and development programs include AB-101, an oral PD-L1 inhibitor to reawaken patients’ HBV-specific immune system; and small molecule antiviral medicines to treat coronaviruses, including COVID-19. It has licensing agreements with Gritstone Oncology, Inc; Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Qilu Pharmaceuticals Co, Ltd; Assembly Biosciences, Inc.; Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc.; and Antios Therapeutics, Inc. Arbutus Biopharma Corporation also has a clinical collaboration agreement with Barinthus Biotherapeutics plc to evaluate VTP-300. The company was formerly known as Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation and changed its name to Arbutus Biopharma Corporation in July 2015. Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is headquartered in Warminster, Pennsylvania.
About Evaxion A/S
Evaxion Biotech A/S, a clinical-stage biotech company, engages in developing artificial intelligence-powered immunotherapies. The company develops EVX-01, which is in phase 2 global multi-center clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic melanoma; EVX-02, a DNA-based vaccine that is in Phase 1/2a trial designed to induce a therapeutic immune response in the adjuvant setting in patients with resected melanoma; and EVX-03, DNA-based cancer vaccine for the treatment of various cancers. Its programs also include some vaccines that are in pre-clinical stage, which includes EVX-B1 for the prevention of S. aureus-induced skin and soft tissue infections in patients undergoing elective abdominal hernia surgery; EVX-B2 to target diseases caused by N. gonorrhoeae; EVX-B3 for eliciting strong humoral antibody and cellular immune response to the bacterial pathogen; and EVX-V1, viral vaccine product candidate for targeting Cytomegalovirus. Evaxion Biotech A/S was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Horsholm, Denmark.