Milestone Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MIST – Get Free Report) and Alector (NASDAQ:ALEC – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
86.2% of Milestone Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.8% of Alector shares are owned by institutional investors. 19.5% of Milestone Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 9.7% of Alector shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Milestone Pharmaceuticals and Alector”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Milestone Pharmaceuticals | $1.00 million | 159.27 | -$41.52 million | ($0.82) | -2.28 |
| Alector | $100.56 million | 2.09 | -$119.05 million | ($1.07) | -1.80 |
Milestone Pharmaceuticals has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Alector. Milestone Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Alector, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Milestone Pharmaceuticals and Alector’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Milestone Pharmaceuticals | N/A | -2,374.19% | -85.19% |
| Alector | -156.03% | -123.02% | -27.48% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Milestone Pharmaceuticals and Alector, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Milestone Pharmaceuticals | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2.67 |
| Alector | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2.13 |
Milestone Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus target price of $8.00, suggesting a potential upside of 327.81%. Alector has a consensus target price of $3.25, suggesting a potential upside of 68.39%. Given Milestone Pharmaceuticals’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Milestone Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Alector.
Risk & Volatility
Milestone Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.46, suggesting that its share price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Alector has a beta of 0.64, suggesting that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Milestone Pharmaceuticals beats Alector on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Milestone Pharmaceuticals
Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of cardiovascular medicines. The company's lead product candidate is etripamil, a novel and potent calcium channel blocker, which is in Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in the United States and Canada; and Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and rapid ventricular rate. It has a license and collaboration agreement with Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals to develop and commercialize etripamil prophylactic and therapeutic uses in humans, as well as with the Montreal Heart Institute, the WCN network, and other research centers. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Montréal, Canada.
About Alector
Alector, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, develops therapies for the treatment of neurodegeneration diseases. Its products include AL001, an immune activity in the brain with genetic links to multiple neurodegenerative disorders, which is in Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diseases; and AL101 that is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The company also offers AL002, a product candidate that is in Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Alector, Inc. has a collaboration agreement with Adimab, LLC for the research and development of antibodies; and a strategic collaboration agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc for the development and commercialization of monoclonal antibodies, such as AL001 and AL101 to treat neurodegenerative diseases. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.
Receive News & Ratings for Milestone Pharmaceuticals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Milestone Pharmaceuticals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
