Krystal Biotech (NASDAQ:KRYS) and VectivBio (NASDAQ:VECT) Critical Review

Krystal Biotech (NASDAQ:KRYS) and VectivBio (NASDAQ:VECT) are both 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.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

86.3% of Krystal Biotech shares are owned by institutional investors. 13.7% of Krystal Biotech shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 9.7% of VectivBio 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.

Profitability

This table compares Krystal Biotech and VectivBio’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Krystal Biotech	30.69%	11.41%	10.40%
VectivBio	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Krystal Biotech and VectivBio”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Krystal Biotech	$333.45 million	11.88	$10.93 million	$4.16	32.95
VectivBio	$27.34 million	20.97	-$93.74 million	N/A	N/A

Krystal Biotech has higher revenue and earnings than VectivBio.

Volatility and Risk

Krystal Biotech has a beta of 0.65, indicating that its share price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, VectivBio has a beta of 0.11, indicating that its share price is 89% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Krystal Biotech and VectivBio, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Krystal Biotech	0	1	7	1	3.00
VectivBio	0	0	0	0	0.00

Krystal Biotech currently has a consensus price target of $211.13, suggesting a potential upside of 54.03%. Given Krystal Biotech’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Krystal Biotech is more favorable than VectivBio.

Summary

Krystal Biotech beats VectivBio on 12 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Krystal Biotech

Krystal Biotech, Inc., a commercial-stage biotechnology company, discovers, develops, and commercializes genetic medicines for patients with rare diseases in the United States. It commercializes VYJUVEK (beremagene geperpavec-svdt, or B-VEC) for the treatment of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB). The company also develops KB105, which is in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for treating patients with deficient autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis; KB104 for treating netherton syndrome; KB407 that is in Phase 1 clinical trials for treating cystic fibrosis; KB707 that is in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of anti-PD-1 relapsed/refractory; KB408, which is in Phase 1 clinical trials for treating Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency; and KB301 that is in Phase 2 clinical trials for treating aesthetic skin conditions, as well as in open label study with ophthalmic B-VEC for treating for ocular complications of deb. Krystal Biotech, Inc. was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

About VectivBio

VectivBio Holding AG, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of medicines for treatments of severe rare conditions. It develops apraglutide, a long-acting synthetic peptide analog of glucagon-like peptide-2 that is in Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of patients with short bowel syndrome-intestinal failure (SBS-IF), as well as apraglutide is in Phase II clinical trial for SBS-IF in patients with colon-in-continuity anatomy. The company is also developing apraglutide, which is in Phase II clinical trial for patients with steroid-refractory gastrointestinal acute versus host disease (aGvHD). VectivBio Holding AG was incorporated in 2019 and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. As of June 29, 2023, VectivBio Holding AG operates as a subsidiary of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.