Head to Head Analysis: Exicure (NASDAQ:XCUR) & Shattuck Labs (NASDAQ:STTK)
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemExicure (NASDAQ:XCUR – Get Free Report) and Shattuck Labs (NASDAQ:STTK – Get Free Report) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, profitability and institutional ownership.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Exicure and Shattuck Labs”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Exicure | $500,000.00 | 13.49 | -$4.95 million | ($1.32) | -0.78 |
| Shattuck Labs | $1.00 million | 538.93 | -$48.81 million | ($0.51) | -10.53 |
Exicure has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Shattuck Labs. Shattuck Labs is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Exicure, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk and Volatility
Exicure has a beta of 3.64, indicating that its stock price is 264% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Shattuck Labs has a beta of 1.09, indicating that its stock price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Exicure and Shattuck Labs’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Exicure | N/A | -237.91% | -61.98% |
| Shattuck Labs | N/A | -43.57% | -40.90% |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
42.8% of Exicure shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 58.7% of Shattuck Labs shares are owned by institutional investors. 52.8% of Exicure shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 8.8% of Shattuck Labs shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings for Exicure and Shattuck Labs, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Exicure | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| Shattuck Labs | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 3.08 |
Shattuck Labs has a consensus price target of $13.70, suggesting a potential upside of 155.12%. Given Shattuck Labs’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Shattuck Labs is more favorable than Exicure.
Summary
Shattuck Labs beats Exicure on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Exicure
Exicure, Inc., an early-stage biotechnology company, develops nucleic acid therapies targeting ribonucleic acid against validated targets. The company's preclinical candidate includes SCN9A that is in preclinical studies for the treatment of chronic pain. It also develops immuno-oncology therapeutics based on its proprietary SNA technology. Exicure, Inc. was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
About Shattuck Labs
Shattuck Labs, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease in the United States. The company's lead product candidate is SL-172154, which is in Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers. Shattuck Labs, Inc. was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.