Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AVIR) vs Summit Therapeutics Inc. (SMMT) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stability / Safety | AVIR | Beta 0.64 vs SMMT's 1.40, lower leverage |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | AVIR | +54.5% vs SMMT's -19.8% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | AVIR | -42.9% ROA vs SMMT's -143.7%, ROIC -36.7% vs -163.4% |
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
Atea Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oral antiviral therapeutics for viral infections like COVID-19, hepatitis C, and dengue. It generates revenue primarily through research collaborations and licensing agreements — notably with Merck for its hepatitis C candidate — while advancing its pipeline toward commercialization. The company's competitive advantage lies in its proprietary nucleotide chemistry platform that enables the development of oral antivirals with broad-spectrum potential against multiple RNA viruses.
Summit Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel antibiotics to treat serious infectious diseases. It generates revenue primarily through research collaborations and licensing agreements — with its lead candidate ridinilazole in Phase III trials for C. difficile infection — while pursuing future commercialization of its pipeline. The company's competitive advantage lies in its targeted approach to antibiotic-resistant infections and its clinical-stage assets addressing significant unmet medical needs.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Segment breakdown not available.
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
AVIR leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). SMMT leads in 1 (Total Returns). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
AVIR and SMMT operate at a comparable scale, with $0 and $0 in trailing revenue.
| Metric | AVIRAtea Pharmaceutic… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $0 | $0 |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$165M | -$812M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$147M | -$1.1B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$134M | -$324M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | — | — |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | — | — |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | — | — |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | — | — |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -43.2% | -2.4% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | AVIRAtea Pharmaceutic… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $366M | $12.9B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $303M | $12.7B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -2.34x | -11.52x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | — | — |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.90x | 18.83x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
AVIR delivers a -46.6% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $-47 in annual profit, vs $-164 for SMMT. AVIR carries lower financial leverage with a 0.00x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to SMMT's 0.03x. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), AVIR scores 3/9 vs SMMT's 1/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | AVIRAtea Pharmaceutic… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -46.6% | -163.9% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -42.9% | -143.7% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -36.7% | -163.4% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -38.3% | -151.5% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 3 | 1 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.00x | 0.03x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$63M | -$204M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $65M | $225M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $2M | $21M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | — | — |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in SMMT five years ago would be worth $25,060 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $634 for AVIR. Over the past 12 months, AVIR leads with a +54.5% total return vs SMMT's -19.8%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors SMMT at 109.7% vs AVIR's 9.8% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | AVIRAtea Pharmaceutic… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +34.5% | -5.3% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +54.5% | -19.8% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +32.2% | +821.7% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -93.7% | +150.6% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -84.6% | +145.8% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +9.8% | +109.7% |
Risk & Volatility
AVIR is the less volatile stock with a 0.64 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than SMMT's 1.40 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. AVIR currently trades 97.5% from its 52-week high vs SMMT's 44.9% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | AVIRAtea Pharmaceutic… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.64x | 1.40x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $4.80 | $36.91 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $2.46 | $13.83 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +97.5% | +44.9% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 67.3 | 50.1 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 441K | 2.3M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates AVIR as "Hold" and SMMT as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 56.7% upside for SMMT (target: $26) vs 47.0% for AVIR (target: $7).
| Metric | AVIRAtea Pharmaceutic… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $6.88 | $26.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 4 | 20 |
| 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 | Oct 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atea Pharmaceutical… (AVIR) | 100 | 13.41 | -86.6% |
| Summit Therapeutics… (SMMT) | 100 | 419.7 | +319.7% |
Summit Therapeutics… (SMMT) returned +151% over 5 years vs Atea Pharmaceutical… (AVIR)'s -94%. A $10,000 investment in SMMT 5 years ago would be worth $25,060 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atea Pharmaceutical… (AVIR) | $0.00 | $0.00 | — |
| Summit Therapeutics… (SMMT) | $3M | $0.00 | -100.0% |
Summit Therapeutics Inc.'s revenue grew from $3M (2016) to $0M (2025) — a -100.0% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2013 | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atea Pharmaceutical… (AVIR) | -22.5% | 34.5% | +253.2% |
| Summit Therapeutics… (SMMT) | -4.4% | -111.9% | -2424.3% |
Summit Therapeutics Inc.'s net margin went from -4% (2013) to -112% (2022).
Chart 4EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atea Pharmaceutical… (AVIR) | -0.9 | -2 | -122.2% |
| Summit Therapeutics… (SMMT) | -0.43 | -1.44 | -234.9% |
Summit Therapeutics Inc.'s EPS grew from $-0.43 (2016) to $-1.44 (2025).
Chart 5Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. generated $-135M FCF in 2024 (-56% vs 2021). Summit Therapeutics Inc. generated $-324M FCF in 2025 (-344% vs 2021).
AVIR vs SMMT: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is AVIR or SMMT a better buy right now?
Analysts rate Summit Therapeutics Inc. (SMMT) a "Buy" — based on 20 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 — AVIR or SMMT?
Over the past 5 years, Summit Therapeutics Inc. (SMMT) delivered a total return of +150.6%, compared to -93.7% for Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AVIR). A $10,000 investment in SMMT five years ago would be worth approximately $25K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: SMMT returned +145.8% versus AVIR's -84.6%. 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 — AVIR or SMMT?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AVIR) is the lower-risk stock at 0.64β versus Summit Therapeutics Inc.'s 1.40β — meaning SMMT is approximately 119% more volatile than AVIR relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AVIR) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 0% versus 3% for Summit Therapeutics Inc. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
04Which has better profit margins — AVIR or SMMT?
Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AVIR) is the more profitable company, earning 0.0% net margin versus 0.0% for Summit Therapeutics Inc. — meaning it keeps 0.0% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: AVIR leads at 0.0% versus 0.0% for SMMT. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — AVIR leads at 0.0%, 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 — AVIR or SMMT?
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 AVIR or SMMT better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AVIR) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.64)). Both have compounded well over 10 years (AVIR: -84.6%, SMMT: +145.8%), 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 AVIR and SMMT?
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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