Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) and Rigel Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:RIGL) Head-To-Head Survey
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyAclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS – Get Free Report) and Rigel Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:RIGL – Get Free Report) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, risk, institutional ownership and earnings.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Aclaris Therapeutics and Rigel Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3.11 |
| Rigel Pharmaceuticals | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2.57 |
Aclaris Therapeutics currently has a consensus target price of $11.33, suggesting a potential upside of 104.94%. Rigel Pharmaceuticals has a consensus target price of $59.00, suggesting a potential upside of 33.00%. Given Aclaris Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Aclaris Therapeutics is more favorable than Rigel Pharmaceuticals.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Aclaris Therapeutics and Rigel Pharmaceuticals”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | $7.83 million | 98.75 | -$64.92 million | ($0.58) | -9.53 |
| Rigel Pharmaceuticals | $294.28 million | 2.79 | $367.02 million | $16.32 | 2.72 |
Rigel Pharmaceuticals has higher revenue and earnings than Aclaris Therapeutics. Aclaris Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Rigel Pharmaceuticals, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk & Volatility
Aclaris Therapeutics has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its stock price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Rigel Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 1.2, indicating that its stock price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
98.3% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 66.2% of Rigel Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. 4.8% of Aclaris Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 10.5% of Rigel Pharmaceuticals shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Aclaris Therapeutics and Rigel Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Aclaris Therapeutics | -921.50% | -61.65% | -42.41% |
| Rigel Pharmaceuticals | 116.30% | 22.95% | 17.19% |
Summary
Rigel Pharmaceuticals beats Aclaris Therapeutics on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Aclaris Therapeutics
Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of novel drug candidates for immune-inflammatory diseases in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Therapeutics and Contract Research. The Therapeutics segment is involved in identifying and developing therapies to address significant unmet needs for immuno-inflammatory diseases. The Contract Research segment provides laboratory services. It develops Zunsemetinib (ATI-450), an MK2 inhibitor which is under Phase 1b/2 trials for the treatment of metastatic breast and pancreatic cancer; ATI-1777, a soft JAK 1/3 inhibitor, completed Phase 2b trails for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and other dermatologic conditions; and ATI-2138, an oral covalent inhibitor of ITK and JAK3 inhibitor under Phase 1 trials as a treatment for T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
About Rigel Pharmaceuticals
Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in discovering, developing, and providing therapies that enhance the lives of patients with hematologic disorders and cancer. The company’s commercialized products include Tavalisse, an oral spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia; Rezlidhia, a non-intensive monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a susceptible isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test; and GAVRETO, a once daily, small molecule, oral, kinase inhibitor for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic rearranged during transfection (RET) fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer, as well as for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with advanced or metastatic RET fusion-positive thyroid cancer. It also develops R289, an oral IRAK1/4 Inhibitor, which is in Phase 1b clinical trials for the treatment of hematology-oncology, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases; and a receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) inhibitor program in clinical development with partner Eli Lilly and Company. In addition, the company has product candidates in clinical development with partners BerGenBio ASA and Daiichi Sankyo. The company has strategic development collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for the development of REZLIDHIA (Olutasidenib) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and other hematologic cancers. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.