Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (CTMX) vs Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (CNTA) 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 | CTMX | 36.4% revenue growth vs CNTA's -100.0% |
| Quality / Margins | CTMX | 24.7% net margin vs CNTA's -16.2% |
| Stability / Safety | CNTA | Beta 0.98 vs CTMX's 1.08 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | CTMX | +6.9% vs CNTA's +72.7% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | CTMX | 17.7% ROA vs CNTA's -54.1% |
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
CytomX Therapeutics is an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company that develops conditionally activated antibody therapeutics using its proprietary Probody technology platform. It generates revenue primarily through strategic collaborations and licensing deals with major pharmaceutical partners — including AbbVie, Amgen, and Bristol-Myers Squibb — which provide upfront payments, milestone payments, and potential future royalties on any commercialized products. The company's key competitive advantage is its Probody platform technology, which creates conditionally activated therapeutics that remain inactive until they reach the tumor microenvironment, potentially improving safety and efficacy compared to traditional antibody therapies.
Centessa Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines for serious diseases. It generates revenue primarily through research collaborations and licensing agreements — though as a pre-commercial company, it currently relies on equity financing and partnerships to fund development. The company's competitive advantage lies in its asset-centric model — each program operates as an independent "company" with dedicated resources and accountability — and its LockBody platform technology designed to create targeted cancer therapies with reduced systemic toxicity.
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
CNTA leads in 3 of 6 categories (Valuation Metrics, Total Returns). CTMX leads in 2 (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency).
Financial Metrics (TTM)
CTMX is the larger business by revenue, generating $114M annually — 7.6x CNTA's $15M. CTMX is the more profitable business, keeping 24.7% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to CNTA's -16.2%.
| Metric | CTMXCytomX Therapeuti… | CNTACentessa Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $114M | $15M |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $25M | -$213M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $28M | -$243M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$72M | -$181M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +100.0% | +100.0% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +20.5% | -14.3% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +24.7% | -16.2% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -63.7% | -12.1% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -82.2% | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -2.3% | -10.8% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | CTMXCytomX Therapeuti… | CNTACentessa Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $430M | $3.6B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $401M | $3.3B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 14.13x | -13.04x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 15.00x | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 3.11x | — |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 7.66x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
CTMX delivers a 26.1% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $26 in annual profit, vs $-80 for CNTA. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), CTMX scores 4/9 vs CNTA's 3/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | CTMXCytomX Therapeuti… | CNTACentessa Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +26.1% | -80.5% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +17.7% | -54.1% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | — | -91.8% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +62.0% | -47.9% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 4 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.29x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$29M | -$266M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $38M | $383M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $9M | $117M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | — | -20.50x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in CNTA five years ago would be worth $12,349 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $6,355 for CTMX. Over the past 12 months, CTMX leads with a +693.0% total return vs CNTA's +72.7%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors CNTA at 96.9% vs CTMX's 35.7% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | CTMXCytomX Therapeuti… | CNTACentessa Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +26.4% | +13.4% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +693.0% | +72.7% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +149.8% | +663.1% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -36.4% | +23.5% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -58.4% | +23.5% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +35.7% | +96.9% |
Risk & Volatility
CNTA is the less volatile stock with a 0.98 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than CTMX's 1.08 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. CNTA currently trades 87.8% from its 52-week high vs CTMX's 84.6% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | CTMXCytomX Therapeuti… | CNTACentessa Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 1.08x | 0.98x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $6.35 | $30.58 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $0.40 | $9.60 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +84.6% | +87.8% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 52.0 | 65.7 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 2.6M | 1.2M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates CTMX as "Buy" and CNTA as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 86.2% upside for CTMX (target: $10) vs 39.0% for CNTA (target: $37).
| Metric | CTMXCytomX Therapeuti… | CNTACentessa Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $10.00 | $37.33 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 21 | 11 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 1 | — |
| 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 | Jun 21 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CytomX Therapeutics… (CTMX) | 100 | 88.84 | -11.2% |
| Centessa Pharmaceut… (CNTA) | 108.41 | 115.82 | +6.8% |
Centessa Pharmaceut… (CNTA) returned +23% over 5 years vs CytomX Therapeutics… (CTMX)'s -36%. A $10,000 investment in CNTA 5 years ago would be worth $12,349 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CytomX Therapeutics… (CTMX) | $8M | $138M | +1690.8% |
| Centessa Pharmaceut… (CNTA) | $0.00 | $0.00 | — |
CytomX Therapeutics, Inc.'s revenue grew from $8M (2015) to $138M (2024) — a 37.8% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CytomX Therapeutics… (CTMX) | -4.6% | 23.1% | +603.1% |
| Centessa Pharmaceut… (CNTA) | -22.0% | -22.0% | +0.0% |
CytomX Therapeutics, Inc.'s net margin went from -5% (2015) to 23% (2024).
Chart 4EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CytomX Therapeutics… (CTMX) | -1 | 0.38 | +138.0% |
| Centessa Pharmaceut… (CNTA) | -0.08 | -2.06 | -2551.2% |
CytomX Therapeutics, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-1.00 (2015) to $0.38 (2024).
Chart 5Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. generated $-87M FCF in 2024 (+28% vs 2021). Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc generated $-142M FCF in 2024 (-4% vs 2021).
CTMX vs CNTA: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is CTMX or CNTA a better buy right now?
CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (CTMX) offers the better valuation at 14.1x trailing P/E, making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (CTMX) 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 — CTMX or CNTA?
Over the past 5 years, Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (CNTA) delivered a total return of +23.5%, compared to -36.4% for CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (CTMX). A $10,000 investment in CNTA five years ago would be worth approximately $12K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: CNTA returned +23.5% versus CTMX's -58.4%. 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 — CTMX or CNTA?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (CNTA) is the lower-risk stock at 0.98β versus CytomX Therapeutics, Inc.'s 1.08β — meaning CTMX is approximately 9% more volatile than CNTA relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — CTMX or CNTA?
CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (CTMX) is the more profitable company, earning 23.1% net margin versus -1618.0% for Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc — meaning it keeps 23.1% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: CTMX leads at 18.1% versus -1425.3% for CNTA. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — CTMX 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 — CTMX or CNTA?
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 CTMX or CNTA better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (CNTA) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.98)). Both have compounded well over 10 years (CNTA: +23.5%, CTMX: -58.4%), 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 CTMX and CNTA?
Both stocks operate in the Healthcare sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: CTMX is a small-cap deep-value stock; CNTA is a small-cap quality compounder stock. 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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