Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (ARCT) vs Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | IONS | 33.9% revenue growth vs ARCT's -12.3% |
| Quality / Margins | IONS | -40.4% net margin vs ARCT's -72.5% |
| Stability / Safety | IONS | Beta 0.68 vs ARCT's 1.60 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | IONS | +144.5% vs ARCT's -51.0% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | IONS | -10.8% ROA vs ARCT's -23.6%, ROIC -12.2% vs -291.5% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Arcturus Therapeutics is an RNA medicines company developing vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases and rare genetic conditions. It generates revenue primarily through research collaborations and licensing deals with pharmaceutical partners — including Janssen, Ultragenyx, and CureVac — rather than product sales. Its competitive advantage lies in its proprietary LUNAR delivery platform, which enables targeted RNA delivery with potential safety and efficacy benefits over conventional approaches.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals is a biotech company that discovers and develops RNA-targeted therapeutics for rare diseases and other serious conditions. It generates revenue primarily through royalties from partnered drugs like SPINRAZA for spinal muscular atrophy — which contributed over 70% of total revenue in recent years — plus milestone payments and research funding from pharmaceutical partners. Its key competitive advantage is its proprietary antisense technology platform, which enables precise targeting of disease-causing RNA and has produced multiple FDA-approved therapies.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
IONS leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Total Returns). ARCT leads in 1 (Valuation Metrics). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
IONS is the larger business by revenue, generating $943M annually — 10.2x ARCT's $92M. IONS is the more profitable business, keeping -40.4% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to ARCT's -72.5%. On growth, IONS holds the edge at -10.4% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | ARCTArcturus Therapeu… | IONSIonis Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $92M | $943M |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$75M | -$367M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$67M | -$381M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$59M | $162.9B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +96.4% | +98.3% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -85.1% | -40.5% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -72.5% | -40.4% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -63.7% | +172.6% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -55.8% | -10.4% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -4.5% | -113.6% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | ARCTArcturus Therapeu… | IONSIonis Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $224M | $13.3B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $16M | $15.7B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -2.74x | -34.10x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 1.62x | 14.04x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.92x | 26.55x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
ARCT delivers a -29.7% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $-30 in annual profit, vs $-78 for IONS. ARCT carries lower financial leverage with a 0.12x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to IONS's 5.78x. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), IONS scores 3/9 vs ARCT's 2/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | ARCTArcturus Therapeu… | IONSIonis Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -29.7% | -77.9% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -23.6% | -10.8% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -2.9% | -12.2% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -30.6% | -16.3% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 2 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.12x | 5.78x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$208M | $2.5B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $237M | $372M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $29M | $2.8B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | — | -3.53x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in IONS five years ago would be worth $15,014 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $1,506 for ARCT. Over the past 12 months, IONS leads with a +144.5% total return vs ARCT's -51.0%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors IONS at 31.2% vs ARCT's -20.3% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | ARCTArcturus Therapeu… | IONSIonis Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +31.7% | +1.9% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -51.0% | +144.5% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -49.4% | +126.0% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -84.9% | +50.1% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -74.8% | +134.8% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -20.3% | +31.2% |
Risk & Volatility
IONS is the less volatile stock with a 0.68 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than ARCT's 1.60 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. IONS currently trades 93.6% from its 52-week high vs ARCT's 34.1% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | ARCTArcturus Therapeu… | IONSIonis Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 1.60x | 0.68x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $24.17 | $86.74 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $5.85 | $23.95 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +34.1% | +93.6% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 65.3 | 44.7 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 407K | 1.7M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates ARCT as "Buy" and IONS as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 143.0% upside for ARCT (target: $20) vs 9.8% for IONS (target: $89).
| Metric | ARCTArcturus Therapeu… | IONSIonis Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $20.00 | $89.13 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 21 | 32 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | — | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcturus Therapeuti… (ARCT) | 100 | 52.27 | -47.7% |
| Ionis Pharmaceutica… (IONS) | 100 | 158.83 | +58.8% |
Ionis Pharmaceutica… (IONS) returned +50% over 5 years vs Arcturus Therapeuti… (ARCT)'s -85%. A $10,000 investment in IONS 5 years ago would be worth $15,014 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcturus Therapeuti… (ARCT) | $20M | $138M | +579.0% |
| Ionis Pharmaceutica… (IONS) | $373M | $944M | +153.2% |
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s revenue grew from $373M (2016) to $944M (2025) — a 10.9% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcturus Therapeuti… (ARCT) | -120.7% | -58.5% | +51.5% |
| Ionis Pharmaceutica… (IONS) | -16.2% | -40.4% | -149.1% |
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s net margin went from -16% (2016) to -40% (2025).
Chart 4EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcturus Therapeuti… (ARCT) | -6.25 | -3 | +52.0% |
| Ionis Pharmaceutica… (IONS) | -0.72 | -2.38 | -230.6% |
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-0.72 (2016) to $-2.38 (2025).
Chart 5Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. generated $-60M FCF in 2024 (+56% vs 2021). Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. generated $-320M FCF in 2025 (-2581% vs 2021).
ARCT vs IONS: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is ARCT or IONS a better buy right now?
Analysts rate Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (ARCT) a "Buy" — based on 21 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which is the better long-term investment — ARCT or IONS?
Over the past 5 years, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) delivered a total return of +50.1%, compared to -84.9% for Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (ARCT). A $10,000 investment in IONS five years ago would be worth approximately $15K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: IONS returned +134.8% versus ARCT's -74.8%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — ARCT or IONS?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) is the lower-risk stock at 0.68β versus Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc.'s 1.60β — meaning ARCT is approximately 135% more volatile than IONS relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (ARCT) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 12% versus 6% for Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
04Which has better profit margins — ARCT or IONS?
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) is the more profitable company, earning -40.4% net margin versus -58.5% for Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. — meaning it keeps -40.4% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: IONS leads at -40.5% versus -69.1% for ARCT. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — ARCT leads at 100.0%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
05Which pays a better dividend — ARCT or IONS?
None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.
06Is ARCT or IONS better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.68), +134.8% 10Y return). Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (ARCT) carries a higher beta of 1.60 — meaning larger drawdowns in market downturns, which matters significantly when you cannot wait years for a recovery. Both have compounded well over 10 years (IONS: +134.8%, ARCT: -74.8%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
07What are the main differences between ARCT and IONS?
Both stocks operate in the Healthcare sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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