Contrasting Evolus (NASDAQ:EOLS) & Acelyrin (NASDAQ:SLRN)

Acelyrin (NASDAQ:SLRN) and Evolus (NASDAQ:EOLS) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, profitability, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Acelyrin and Evolus, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Acelyrin	0	3	2	0	2.40
Evolus	0	0	4	0	3.00

Acelyrin presently has a consensus price target of $9.60, suggesting a potential upside of 370.59%. Evolus has a consensus price target of $23.67, suggesting a potential upside of 80.52%. Given Acelyrin’s higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Acelyrin is more favorable than Evolus.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

87.3% of Acelyrin shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.7% of Evolus shares are owned by institutional investors. 13.6% of Acelyrin shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.1% of Evolus shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

Acelyrin has a beta of 1.86, indicating that its stock price is 86% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Evolus has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its stock price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

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

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Acelyrin	N/A	N/A	-$381.64 million	($2.46)	-0.83
Evolus	$202.09 million	4.11	-$61.69 million	($0.91)	-14.41

Evolus has higher revenue and earnings than Acelyrin. Evolus is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Acelyrin, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Acelyrin and Evolus’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Acelyrin	N/A	-44.12%	-39.02%
Evolus	-22.33%	-847.60%	-22.15%

Summary

Evolus beats Acelyrin on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Acelyrin

Acelyrin, Inc., a clinical biopharma company, focuses on identifying, acquiring, and accelerating the development and commercialization of transformative medicines. The company's lead product candidate is izokibep, a small protein therapeutic designed to inhibit IL-17A with high potency, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for use in the treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Psoriatic Arthritis, and uveitis, as well as in Phase 2 clinical trials for use in the treatment of Axial Spondyloarthritis. It is also developing lonigutamab, a humanized immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibody which is in Phase 1 clinical trials for use in the treatment of thyroid eye disease. In addition, the company's develops SLRN-517, a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting c-KIT, which is in preclinical stage for use in the treatment of chronic urticaria. Acelyrin, Inc. was incorporated in 2020 and is headquartered in Agoura Hills, California.

About Evolus

Evolus, Inc., a performance beauty company, focuses on delivering products in the cash-pay aesthetic market in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The company offers Jeuveau, a proprietary 900 kilodalton purified botulinum toxin type A formulation for the temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines in adults. It also provides dermal filler products under the Estyme and Evolysse names. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, California.