Comparing Pliant Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PLRX) and Bionomics (NASDAQ:BNOX)

Bionomics (NASDAQ:BNOX) and Pliant Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PLRX) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership and profitability.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

15.9% of Bionomics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.3% of Pliant Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Bionomics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.4% of Pliant Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Bionomics has a beta of 0.26, meaning that its share price is 74% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Pliant Therapeutics has a beta of 1.05, meaning that its share price is 5% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Bionomics and Pliant Therapeutics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bionomics	$10,000.00	446.82	-$15.49 million	N/A	N/A
Pliant Therapeutics	$1.58 million	492.61	-$161.34 million	($3.34)	-3.83

Bionomics has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Pliant Therapeutics.

Profitability

This table compares Bionomics and Pliant Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bionomics	N/A	N/A	N/A
Pliant Therapeutics	N/A	-48.91%	-41.09%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings for Bionomics and Pliant Therapeutics, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bionomics	0	0	2	0	3.00
Pliant Therapeutics	0	0	7	1	3.13

Bionomics currently has a consensus price target of $8.00, indicating a potential upside of 3,060.81%. Pliant Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $40.50, indicating a potential upside of 216.65%. Given Bionomics’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Bionomics is more favorable than Pliant Therapeutics.

Summary

Pliant Therapeutics beats Bionomics on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bionomics

Bionomics Limited, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers and develops novel drug candidates for the treatment of central nervous system disorders and cancers. The company's lead drug candidate includes BNC210, a negative allosteric modulator of the a7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which is in phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of social anxiety disorder and phase 2b to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. It also develops BNC101, a monoclonal antibody that has completed phase 1 clinical trial that targets cancer stem cells; and BNC105, which is in phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of refractory colorectal cancer and phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The company has a collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc. to identify novel a7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor PAMs suitable for the treatment of cognitive disorder. Bionomics Limited was incorporated in 1996 and is based in Eastwood, Australia.

About Pliant Therapeutics

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes novel therapies for the treatment of fibrosis and related diseases in the United States. The company's lead candidate is bexotegrast, an oral, small-molecule, dual selective inhibitor of avß6 and avß1 integrins, which is in phase 2b trials for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in phase 2a trial for primary sclerosing cholangitis. It also develops PLN-1474, an oral, small-molecule selective inhibitor of avß1 for the treatment of liver fibrosis associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; PLN-101095, a dual inhibitor of integrins avß8 and avß1 for the treatment of solid tumors; and PLN-101325 for treatment of muscular dystrophies. Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 and is based in South San Francisco, California.