Lexeo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:LXEO – Get Free Report) and Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk and dividends.
Risk and Volatility
Lexeo Therapeutics has a beta of 1.75, suggesting that its stock price is 75% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Esperion Therapeutics has a beta of 1.04, suggesting that its stock price is 4% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Lexeo Therapeutics and Esperion Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Lexeo Therapeutics | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2.90 |
| Esperion Therapeutics | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2.75 |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
60.7% of Lexeo Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 47.4% of Esperion Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 5.3% of Lexeo Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of Esperion Therapeutics shares are held 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.
Profitability
This table compares Lexeo Therapeutics and Esperion Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Lexeo Therapeutics | N/A | -90.49% | -70.86% |
| Esperion Therapeutics | -32.22% | N/A | -27.91% |
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Lexeo Therapeutics and Esperion Therapeutics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Lexeo Therapeutics | N/A | N/A | -$98.33 million | ($2.70) | -2.78 |
| Esperion Therapeutics | $332.31 million | 2.26 | -$51.74 million | ($0.50) | -6.28 |
Esperion Therapeutics has higher revenue and earnings than Lexeo Therapeutics. Esperion Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lexeo Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Lexeo Therapeutics beats Esperion Therapeutics on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Lexeo Therapeutics
Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc. operates as a clinical stage genetic medicine company that focuses on hereditary and acquired diseases. The company develops LX2006, which is an AAVrh10-based gene therapy candidate for the treatment of Friedreich's ataxia (FA) cardiomyopathy; LX2020, an AAVrh10-based gene therapy candidate for the treatment of plakophilin-2 arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy; LX2021, a gene therapy candidate for the treatment of DSP cardiomyopathy associated with it; and LX2022, a gene therapy candidate for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM caused by TNNI3 gene. It also develops LX1001, an AAVrh10-based gene therapy candidate for the treatment of APOE4 homozygous; LX1020, a gene therapy candidate for the treatment of APOE4 homozygous; LX1021 for the treatment of APOE4 homozygotes; and LX1004 for the treatment of CLN2 Batten disease. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is based in New York, New York.
About Esperion Therapeutics
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes medicines for the treatment of patients with elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Its marketed products include NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets that are oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines for the treatment of primary hyperlipidemia in adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who require additional lowering of LDL-C. The company’s products also include NILEMDO, an ATP Citrate Lyase (ACL) inhibitor that lowers LDL-C and cardiovascular risk by reducing cholesterol biosynthesis and up-regulating the LDL receptors; and NUSTENDI, a bempedoic acid and ezetimibe tablet to treat elevated LDL-C. The company has license and collaboration agreements with Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd to; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd; and Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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