Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (INO) vs BioNTech SE (BNTX) 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 | BNTX | -28.0% revenue growth vs INO's -73.8% |
| Quality / Margins | BNTX | -18.1% net margin vs INO's -592.8% |
| Stability / Safety | BNTX | Beta 0.92 vs INO's 0.97, lower leverage |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | BNTX | -2.4% vs INO's -8.6% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | BNTX | -2.7% ROA vs INO's -155.8%, ROIC -10.5% vs -114.1% |
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
Inovio Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company developing DNA-based medicines to treat HPV-related conditions, cancers, and infectious diseases. It generates revenue primarily through government grants and research funding — particularly from defense and public health agencies — as it advances its clinical pipeline toward commercialization. The company's key advantage lies in its proprietary DNA medicine platform combining SynCon antigen design with CELLECTRA delivery technology, which enables rapid vaccine development against emerging pathogens.
BioNTech is a biotechnology company that develops mRNA-based immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases. It generates revenue primarily through COVID-19 vaccine sales — which accounted for the vast majority of its income during the pandemic — and through partnerships and licensing deals for its oncology pipeline. The company's key advantage is its pioneering mRNA technology platform, which enables rapid development of targeted therapies and vaccines.
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
BNTX leads in 6 of 6 categories — strongest in Financial Metrics and Valuation Metrics.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
BNTX is the larger business by revenue, generating $3.2B annually — 17289.4x INO's $182,337. BNTX is the more profitable business, keeping -18.1% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to INO's -592.8%.
| Metric | INOInovio Pharmaceut… | BNTXBioNTech SE |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $182,337 | $3.2B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$87M | -$550M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$108M | -$572M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$20.9B | -$563M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | -7.3% | +82.5% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -492.0% | -29.6% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -592.8% | -18.1% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -114511.0% | -17.8% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | +22.0% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +99.9% | -114.8% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | INOInovio Pharmaceut… | BNTXBioNTech SE |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $65M | $27.7B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $11M | $16.4B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -0.46x | -33.74x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 300.07x | 8.52x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.72x | 1.16x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
BNTX delivers a -3.1% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $-3 in annual profit, vs $-115 for INO. BNTX carries lower financial leverage with a 0.01x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to INO's 0.17x. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), BNTX scores 3/9 vs INO's 2/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | INOInovio Pharmaceut… | BNTXBioNTech SE |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -115.4% | -3.1% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -155.8% | -2.7% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -114.1% | -10.5% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -109.0% | -6.4% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 2 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.17x | 0.01x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$54M | -$9.5B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $66M | $9.8B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $12M | $254M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -632.05x | -49.09x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in BNTX five years ago would be worth $10,193 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $130 for INO. Over the past 12 months, BNTX leads with a -2.4% total return vs INO's -8.6%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors BNTX at -5.4% vs INO's -50.7% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | INOInovio Pharmaceut… | BNTXBioNTech SE |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +7.1% | +14.0% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -8.6% | -2.4% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -88.0% | -15.2% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -98.7% | +1.9% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -97.2% | +688.9% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -50.7% | -5.4% |
Risk & Volatility
BNTX is the less volatile stock with a 0.92 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than INO's 0.97 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. BNTX currently trades 88.9% from its 52-week high vs INO's 60.7% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | INOInovio Pharmaceut… | BNTXBioNTech SE |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.97x | 0.92x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $2.98 | $124.00 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $1.30 | $81.20 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +60.7% | +88.9% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 56.2 | 50.2 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 1.2M | 822K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates INO as "Buy" and BNTX as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 231.5% upside for INO (target: $6) vs 24.1% for BNTX (target: $137).
| Metric | INOInovio Pharmaceut… | BNTXBioNTech SE |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $6.00 | $136.80 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 17 | 24 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | 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 | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inovio Pharmaceutic… (INO) | 100 | 3.23 | -96.8% |
| BioNTech SE (BNTX) | 100 | 297.49 | +197.5% |
BioNTech SE (BNTX) returned +2% over 5 years vs Inovio Pharmaceutic… (INO)'s -99%. A $10,000 investment in BNTX 5 years ago would be worth $10,193 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inovio Pharmaceutic… (INO) | $41M | $217756.00 | -99.5% |
| BioNTech SE (BNTX) | $62M | $2.8B | +4366.2% |
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s revenue grew from $41M (2015) to $0M (2024) — a -44.1% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inovio Pharmaceutic… (INO) | -71.9% | -492.5% | -584.7% |
| BioNTech SE (BNTX) | -139.1% | -24.2% | +82.6% |
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s net margin went from -72% (2015) to -493% (2024).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 3 Years
| Stock | 2021 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| BioNTech SE (BNTX) | 6.3 | 27.6 | +338.1% |
BioNTech SE has traded in a 4x–28x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~-34x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inovio Pharmaceutic… (INO) | -0.43 | -3.95 | -818.6% |
| BioNTech SE (BNTX) | -0.38 | -2.77 | -628.9% |
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-0.43 (2015) to $-3.95 (2024).
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. generated $-105M FCF in 2024 (+52% vs 2021). BioNTech SE generated $-245M FCF in 2024 (-133% vs 2021).
INO vs BNTX: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is INO or BNTX a better buy right now?
Analysts rate Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (INO) a "Buy" — based on 17 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 — INO or BNTX?
Over the past 5 years, BioNTech SE (BNTX) delivered a total return of +1.9%, compared to -98.7% for Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (INO). A $10,000 investment in BNTX five years ago would be worth approximately $10K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: BNTX returned +688.9% versus INO's -97.2%. 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 — INO or BNTX?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), BioNTech SE (BNTX) is the lower-risk stock at 0.92β versus Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s 0.97β — meaning INO is approximately 5% more volatile than BNTX relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, BioNTech SE (BNTX) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 1% versus 17% for Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
04Which has better profit margins — INO or BNTX?
BioNTech SE (BNTX) is the more profitable company, earning -24.2% net margin versus -492.5% for Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. — meaning it keeps -24.2% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: BNTX leads at -47.8% versus -516.2% for INO. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — INO 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 — INO or BNTX?
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 INO or BNTX better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, BioNTech SE (BNTX) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.92), +688.9% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (BNTX: +688.9%, INO: -97.2%), 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 INO and BNTX?
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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