PepGen Inc. (NASDAQ: PEPG)

Sector: Healthcare Industry: Biotechnology CIK: 0001835597
Market Cap 223.61 Mn
P/B 1.37
P/E -2.39
P/S 0.00
ROIC (Qtr) -72.89
Div Yield % 0.00
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 0.00
Total Debt (Qtr) 17.44 Mn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.11

About

PepGen Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, is at the forefront of advancing the next generation of oligonucleotide therapeutics to revolutionize the treatment of severe neuromuscular and neurological diseases. The company's proprietary Enhanced Delivery Oligonucleotide (EDO) platform is built on over a decade of research and development, utilizing cell-penetrating peptides to enhance the uptake and activity of conjugated oligonucleotide therapeutics. PepGen's primary business activities revolve around the development of innovative therapeutic...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Healthy cash reserves of 144.32M provide 45.63x coverage of short-term debt 3.16M, demonstrating strong liquidity position and minimal refinancing risk.
  • Strong tangible asset base of 190.06M provides 10.90x coverage of total debt 17.44M, indicating robust asset backing and low credit risk.
  • Tangible assets of 190.06M provide robust 21.81x coverage of other current liabilities 8.71M, indicating strong asset backing.
  • Short-term investments of 20.89M provide solid 2.40x coverage of other current liabilities 8.71M, indicating strong liquidity.
  • Cash reserves of 144.32M provide robust 11.42x coverage of current liabilities 12.64M, indicating strong short-term solvency.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of (85.27M) barely covers its investment activities of 77.51M, with a coverage ratio of -1.10, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Investment activities of 77.51M provide weak support for R&D spending of 76.15M, which is 1.02x, suggesting potentially insufficient investment in innovation relative to other capital deployment.
  • The company's operating cash flow of (85.27M) shows concerning coverage of stock compensation expenses of 11.52M, with a -7.40 ratio indicating potential earnings quality issues.
  • Free cash flow of (85.76M) provides weak coverage of capital expenditures of 493000, with a -173.95 ratio suggesting additional external financing needs for growth initiatives.
  • Operating earnings of (94.17M) show weak coverage of depreciation charges of 1.44M, with a -65.35 ratio indicating high capital intensity and potential reinvestment needs.

Peer comparison

Companies in the Biotechnology
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 SMMT Summit Therapeutics Inc. 1,446.17 Bn -1,569.17 0.00 0.01 Bn
2 ONC BeOne Medicines Ltd. 439.23 Bn 6,407.40 88.33 1.90 Bn
3 VRTX Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma 120.62 Bn 32.82 10.29 1.83 Bn
4 REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 84.40 Bn 18.44 5.92 2.71 Bn
5 ALNY Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 56.13 Bn 1,288.39 17.49 3.21 Bn
6 ARGX Argenx Se 47.89 Bn 31.79 24,973.95 -
7 BNTC Benitec Biopharma Inc. 42.45 Bn -1,015.00 0.00 0.00 Bn
8 INSM INSMED Inc 32.67 Bn -27.60 73.08 0.74 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 1.08 12.96
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO -2.40 23.73
EV to Debt EV to Debt 11.75 772.65
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT -2.18 -11.30
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA -2.12 7.11
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF -2.39 22.12
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 0.92 68.89
EV to Revenue EV to Revenue 0.00 199.70
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 1.37 22.62
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E -2.39 -12.30
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Dividend Coverage Ratio 0.00 -12.02
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 0.00 0.17
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 0.00 0.01
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 0.00 -0.15
Interest Coverage Interest Coverage 0.00 857.11
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -8.83 -27.24
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 229.23 747.06
Dividend Growth (1y) % Dividend Growth (1y) % 0.00 0.01
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) -7.25 -48.21
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) -4.41 -2.09
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) -8.05 -57.79
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) -8.05 -14.35
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 5.05 -30.88
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) -3.60 -32.51
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit Growth (1y) % 0.00 227.96
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.00 0.14
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.00 0.00
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 11.42 3.79
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 13.15 7.23
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.11 0.42
Interest Cover Ratio Interest Cover Ratio 0.00 857.11
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned 0.00 857.11
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % 0.00 -18,509.94
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % 0.00 -18,862.18
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % 0.00 -19,783.19
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % 0.00 -8.62
Net Profit Margin % Net Profit Margin % 0.00 -19,732.60