Head-To-Head Contrast: NextCure (NASDAQ:NXTC) vs. enGene (NASDAQ:ENGN)

NextCure (NASDAQ:NXTC) and enGene (NASDAQ:ENGN) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends and institutional ownership.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

42.7% of NextCure shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.2% of enGene shares are owned by institutional investors. 13.3% of NextCure shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 10.4% of enGene shares are owned 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 NextCure and enGene’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NextCure	N/A	-106.62%	-85.20%
enGene	N/A	-32.60%	-28.26%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares NextCure and enGene”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NextCure	N/A	N/A	-$55.65 million	($25.82)	-0.19
enGene	N/A	N/A	-$55.14 million	($1.65)	-2.24

enGene is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NextCure, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for NextCure and enGene, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NextCure	0	1	2	0	2.67
enGene	0	1	6	1	3.00

NextCure currently has a consensus price target of $25.50, indicating a potential upside of 431.25%. enGene has a consensus price target of $23.2857, indicating a potential upside of 531.05%. Given enGene’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe enGene is more favorable than NextCure.

Volatility & Risk

NextCure has a beta of 1.25, suggesting that its share price is 25% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, enGene has a beta of -0.41, suggesting that its share price is 141% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

enGene beats NextCure on 9 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NextCure

NextCure, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in discovering and developing novel immunomedicines to treat cancer and other immune-related diseases by restoring normal immune function. The company is developing NC410, an immunomedicine designed to block immune suppression mediated by LAIR-1; NC762, a monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to B7-H4, a protein expressed on multiple tumor types; and NC525, a monoclonal antibody that binds to LAIR-1 to functionally kill AML blast cells and leukemic stem cells while preserving normal blood cells, including hematopoietic stem cells. Its discovery and research programs include an antibody in preclinical evaluation of other potential novel immunomodulatory molecules. It has a license agreement with Yale University. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland.

About enGene

enGene Holdings Inc., through its subsidiary enGene, Inc., operates as a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops genetic medicines through the delivery of therapeutics to mucosal tissues and other organs. Its lead product candidate is EG-70 (detalimogene voraplasmid), which is a non-viral immunotherapy to treat non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients with carcinoma-in-situ (Cis), who are unresponsive to treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. The company was founded in 2023 and is based in Saint-Laurent, Canada.