Critical Comparison: Adaptimmune Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ADAP) and Genocea Biosciences (NASDAQ:GNCA)

Genocea Biosciences (NASDAQ:GNCA) and Adaptimmune Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ADAP) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Valuation & Earnings

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

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Genocea Biosciences	$1.91 million	0.00	-$33.20 million	($0.61)	N/A
Adaptimmune Therapeutics	$60.28 million	2.64	-$113.87 million	($0.22)	-2.83

Genocea Biosciences has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Adaptimmune Therapeutics. Adaptimmune Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Genocea Biosciences, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

Genocea Biosciences has a beta of 1.61, suggesting that its share price is 61% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Adaptimmune Therapeutics has a beta of 2.18, suggesting that its share price is 118% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

0.6% of Genocea Biosciences shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 31.4% of Adaptimmune Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.6% of Genocea Biosciences shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 12.4% of Adaptimmune Therapeutics 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.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Genocea Biosciences and Adaptimmune Therapeutics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Genocea Biosciences	0	0	0	0	0.00
Adaptimmune Therapeutics	0	0	4	0	3.00

Adaptimmune Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $2.79, indicating a potential upside of 347.50%. Given Adaptimmune Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Adaptimmune Therapeutics is more favorable than Genocea Biosciences.

Profitability

This table compares Genocea Biosciences and Adaptimmune Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Genocea Biosciences	N/A	-182.88%	-62.76%
Adaptimmune Therapeutics	-25.43%	-74.15%	-15.09%

Summary

Adaptimmune Therapeutics beats Genocea Biosciences on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Genocea Biosciences

Genocea Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, discovers and develops novel cancer immunotherapies. The company uses its proprietary discovery platform, ATLAS, which profiles each patient's CD4+ and CD8+ T cell immune responses to every target or antigen identified by next-generation sequencing of that patient's tumor. Its products include GEN-011, an adoptive T cell therapy, which is in Phase 1/2a clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors; and GEN-009, a neoantigen vaccine candidate, which is in Phase 1/2a clinical trials that delivers adjuvanted synthetic long peptides spanning ATLAS-identified anti-tumor neoantigens. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On July 5, 2022, Genocea Biosciences, Inc. filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts.

About Adaptimmune Therapeutics

Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, provides novel cell therapies primarily to cancer patients in the United States and the United Kingdom. It develops SPEARHEAD-1 that is in phase II clinical trials with ADP-A2M4 for synovial sarcoma; SURPASS-3 that is in phase II clinical trial with ADP-A2M4CD8 for people with platinum resistant ovarian cancer; and SURPASS that is in phase I clinical trials in patients with head and neck, and urothelial cancers. The company has strategic collaboration and license agreement with Genentech, Inc. and F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd to develop personalized allogeneic and allogeneic T-cell therapies; research, collaboration, and license agreement with Universal Cells, Inc.; third-party collaborations with Noile-Immune and Alpine Immune Sciences; and strategic alliance agreement with the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Abingdon, the United Kingdom.