Reviewing Upstream Bio (NASDAQ:UPB) and Northwest Biotherapeutics (OTCMKTS:NWBO)

Upstream Bio (NASDAQ:UPB) and Northwest Biotherapeutics (OTCMKTS:NWBO) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Upstream Bio and Northwest Biotherapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Upstream Bio	-4,955.67%	-48.40%	-46.57%
Northwest Biotherapeutics	-1,736.35%	N/A	-56.34%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Upstream Bio and Northwest Biotherapeutics”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Upstream Bio	$2.85 million	131.64	-$143.44 million	($2.90)	-2.36
Northwest Biotherapeutics	$1.38 million	209.54	-$60.16 million	($18.23)	-0.01

Northwest Biotherapeutics has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Upstream Bio. Upstream Bio is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Northwest Biotherapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk and Volatility

Upstream Bio has a beta of 1.26, suggesting that its stock price is 26% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Northwest Biotherapeutics has a beta of -0.6, suggesting that its stock price is 160% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Upstream Bio and Northwest Biotherapeutics, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Upstream Bio	1	2	4	0	2.43
Northwest Biotherapeutics	0	0	0	0	0.00

Upstream Bio currently has a consensus price target of $29.67, suggesting a potential upside of 333.09%. Given Upstream Bio’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Upstream Bio is more favorable than Northwest Biotherapeutics.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

0.0% of Northwest Biotherapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 16.5% of Upstream Bio shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.4% of Northwest Biotherapeutics shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Upstream Bio beats Northwest Biotherapeutics on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Upstream Bio

Upstream Bio, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops treatments for inflammatory diseases that focuses on severe respiratory disorders. It develops verekitug, a monoclonal antibody that targets and inhibits the thymic stromal lymphopoietin receptor. The company also develops therapies to treat severe asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Upstream Bio, Inc. was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

About Northwest Biotherapeutics

Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company, develops personalized immune therapies for cancer in the United States and internationally. The company develops its products based on DCVax, a platform technology that uses activated dendritic cells to mobilize a patient’s own immune system to attack cancer. Its lead product, DCVax-L, which has completed Phase III clinical trials to treat Glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer. The company also develops DCVax-Direct, which is in Phase I/II clinical trials to treat inoperable solid tumors. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.