Contrasting Sangamo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SGMO) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INO)

Sangamo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SGMO) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INO) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

56.9% of Sangamo Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 26.8% of Inovio Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.1% of Sangamo Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.3% of Inovio Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Sangamo Therapeutics and Inovio Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Sangamo Therapeutics	-124.61%	-345.98%	-79.86%
Inovio Pharmaceuticals	N/A	-136.93%	-89.99%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Sangamo Therapeutics and Inovio Pharmaceuticals”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Sangamo Therapeutics	$57.80 million	2.20	-$97.94 million	($0.39)	-1.40
Inovio Pharmaceuticals	$220,000.00	240.02	-$107.25 million	($3.19)	-0.45

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for Sangamo Therapeutics and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Sangamo Therapeutics	0	2	4	0	2.67
Inovio Pharmaceuticals	0	2	3	0	2.60

Sangamo Therapeutics currently has a consensus target price of $4.50, suggesting a potential upside of 725.69%. Inovio Pharmaceuticals has a consensus target price of $8.80, suggesting a potential upside of 511.11%. Given Sangamo Therapeutics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Sangamo Therapeutics is more favorable than Inovio Pharmaceuticals.

Risk & Volatility

Sangamo Therapeutics has a beta of 1.23, suggesting that its stock price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Inovio Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 1.31, suggesting that its stock price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Sangamo Therapeutics beats Inovio Pharmaceuticals on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Sangamo Therapeutics

Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage genomic medicine company, focuses on translating science into medicines that transform the lives of patients and families afflicted with serious diseases in the United States. The company's clinical-stage product candidates are ST-920, a gene therapy product candidate, which is in Phase 1/2 clinical study for the treatment of Fabry disease; TX200, a chimeric antigen receptor engineered regulatory T cell (CAR-Treg) therapy product candidate that is in Phase 1/2 clinical study for the prevention of immune-mediated rejection in HLA-A2 mismatched kidney transplantation; SB-525, a gene therapy product candidate, which is in Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of moderately severe to severe hemophilia A; BIVV003, a zinc finger nuclease gene-edited cell therapy product candidate that is in Phase 1/2 PRECIZN-1 clinical study for the treatment of sickle cell disease. Its preclinical development products focus on CAR-Treg cell therapies for autoimmune disorders and genome engineering for neurological diseases. Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. has collaborative and strategic partnerships with Biogen MA, Inc.; Kite Pharma, Inc.; Pfizer Inc.; Sanofi S.A.; Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc.; Shire International GmbH; Dow AgroSciences LLC; Sigma-Aldrich Corporation; Genentech, Inc.; Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc.; and California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The company was formerly known as Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. and changed its name to Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. in January 2017. Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Richmond, California.

About Inovio Pharmaceuticals

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of DNA medicines to treat and protect people from diseases associated with human papillomavirus (HPV), cancer, and infectious diseases. Its DNA medicines platform uses precisely designed SynCon that identify and optimize the DNA sequence of the target antigen, as well as CELLECTRA smart devices technology that facilitates delivery of the DNA plasmids. Its products in pipeline include VGX-3100 for the treatment of HPV-related cervical high-grade dysplasia; INO-3107 for HPV-related recurrent respiratory papillomatosis and is under Phase 1/2 trial; INO-3112 for the treatment of HPV-related Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and is under Phase 2 trial; INO-5401 for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme and is under Phase 2 trial; INO-4201 for Ebola Virus Disease and is under Phase 1b trial; INO-4800 for COVID-19 and is under Phase 3 trial; and INO-6160 for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus and is under Phase 1 trial. Its partners and collaborators include Advaccine Biopharmaceuticals Suzhou Co, ApolloBio Corporation, AstraZeneca, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, The U.S. Department of Defense, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, International Vaccine Institute, Kaneka Eurogentec, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Plumbline Life Sciences, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Richter-Helm BioLogics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, the University of Pennsylvania, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and The Wistar Institute. The company was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.