Contrasting Exscientia (NASDAQ:EXAI) and CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP)
by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat GemCRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP – Get Free Report) and Exscientia (NASDAQ:EXAI – Get Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability and risk.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
69.2% of CRISPR Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 41.6% of Exscientia shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.1% of CRISPR Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 16.4% of Exscientia shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for CRISPR Therapeutics and Exscientia, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| CRISPR Therapeutics | 2 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 2.37 |
| Exscientia | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
CRISPR Therapeutics currently has a consensus target price of $75.19, suggesting a potential upside of 65.61%. Exscientia has a consensus target price of $7.00, suggesting a potential upside of 51.52%. Given CRISPR Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe CRISPR Therapeutics is more favorable than Exscientia.
Profitability
This table compares CRISPR Therapeutics and Exscientia’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| CRISPR Therapeutics | N/A | -13.85% | -11.69% |
| Exscientia | -620.99% | -37.56% | -26.19% |
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares CRISPR Therapeutics and Exscientia”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| CRISPR Therapeutics | $200.00 million | 19.28 | -$153.61 million | ($2.72) | -16.69 |
| Exscientia | $21.02 million | 26.57 | -$181.56 million | ($1.31) | -3.53 |
CRISPR Therapeutics has higher revenue and earnings than Exscientia. CRISPR Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Exscientia, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility and Risk
CRISPR Therapeutics has a beta of 1.68, suggesting that its share price is 68% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Exscientia has a beta of 0.84, suggesting that its share price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
CRISPR Therapeutics beats Exscientia on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About CRISPR Therapeutics
CRISPR Therapeutics is a gene-editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary gene-editing technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA. CRISPR Therapeutics has established a portfolio of therapeutic programs across a broad range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies, oncology, regenerative medicine and rare diseases. To accelerate and expand its efforts, CRISPR Therapeutics has established strategic collaborations with companies including Bayer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and ViaCyte, Inc. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., and R&D operations based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and business offices in San Francisco, California and London, United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.crisprtx.com.
About Exscientia
Exscientia plc, an artificial intelligence (AI) driven Pharma-tech company, engages in design and develop differentiated medicines for diseases with high unmet patient needs. The company's lead product candidate GTAEXS617, a CDK7 inhibitor, which is currently in a Phase 1/2 trial to manage the potential toxicities associated with CDK7 as well as optimizing pharmacokinetics for maximizing on-target efficacy. It is also involved in the development of EXS4318, a PKC-theta inhibitor, under Phase 1 clinical trial for inflammation and immunology indications; EXS74539, a LSD1 inhibitor, under preclinical studies for SCLC, AML, and potential additional indications; EXS73565, a MALT1 inhibitor, under preclinical studies for multiple hematology indications; and DSP-0038, currently in Phase 1 studies. The company has collaboration agreements with Merck KGaA, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Rallybio, and GT Apeiron Therapeutics. Exscientia plc was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Oxford, the United Kingdom.