Axcella Health (NASDAQ:AXLA – Get Rating) and Icosavax (NASDAQ:ICVX – Get Rating) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Axcella Health and Icosavax's net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Axcella Health and Icosavax's top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Axcella Health and Icosavax, as reported by MarketBeat.

Axcella Health currently has a consensus price target of $6.80, suggesting a potential upside of 319.75%. Icosavax has a consensus price target of $18.00, suggesting a potential upside of 460.75%. Given Icosavax's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Icosavax is more favorable than Axcella Health.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

64.8% of Axcella Health shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.4% of Icosavax shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.5% of Axcella Health shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 39.1% of Icosavax shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Axcella Health has a beta of 1.1, indicating that its share price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Icosavax has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its share price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Icosavax beats Axcella Health on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Axcella Health

(Get Rating)

Axcella Health Inc. operates as a clinical stage biotechnology company in the United States. The company treats complex diseases and enhances health using endogenous metabolic modulator compositions. Its lead product candidates include AXA1665, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial for the reduction in risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy recurrence; and AXA1125 that is in Phase 2b clinical trial for treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, as well as in Phase 2a clinical trial for Long COVID therapy for patients. The company was formerly known as Newco LS16, Inc. and changed its name to Axcella Health Inc. in June 2016. Axcella Health Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

About Icosavax

(Get Rating)

Icosavax, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops vaccines against infectious diseases. The company, with the help of its virus-like particle (VLP) platform technology, focuses primarily on life-threatening respiratory diseases. Its products in pipeline include IVX-121, a vaccine candidate with RSV target and is under Phase 1/1b clinical trial; IVX-A12, a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) monovalent antigen candidate with RSV/human metapneumovirus (hMPV) bivalent target indication; IVX-241, a vaccine candidate with hMPV target; and IVX-411, an original receptor binding domain (RBD) sequence antigen with SARS-CoV-2 target indication and is under Phase 1/2 clinical trial. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

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