Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc. (MIST) vs United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR) 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 | UTHR | 10.6% revenue growth vs MIST's -100.0% |
| Stability / Safety | UTHR | Beta 0.43 vs MIST's 1.32 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | UTHR | +57.4% vs MIST's +4.9% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | UTHR | 16.9% ROA vs MIST's -66.1%, ROIC 21.1% vs -64.8% |
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
Milestone Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel cardiovascular therapies. It generates revenue primarily through research collaborations and licensing agreements — notably with Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals for its lead candidate etripamil — while advancing toward potential drug commercialization. The company's competitive advantage lies in its proprietary etripamil formulation, a fast-acting nasal spray designed for patient self-administration during acute cardiac episodes.
United Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension and other rare diseases. It generates revenue primarily from its portfolio of PAH treatments — including Remodulin, Tyvaso, and Orenitram — which account for the vast majority of its sales. The company's competitive advantage lies in its deep expertise in prostacyclin therapies and its vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities for complex drug delivery systems.
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
UTHR leads in 4 of 6 categories — strongest in Financial Metrics and Profitability & Efficiency. 1 category is tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
UTHR and MIST operate at a comparable scale, with $3.2B and $0 in trailing revenue.
| Metric | MISTMilestone Pharmac… | UTHRUnited Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $0 | $3.2B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$57M | $1.6B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$58M | $1.3B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$43M | $1.0B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | — | +87.9% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | — | +46.9% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | — | +41.9% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | — | +32.7% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | +7.4% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +14.3% | +23.7% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | MISTMilestone Pharmac… | UTHRUnited Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $146M | $22.0B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $175M | $20.4B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -2.55x | 18.09x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 16.90x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 0.94x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | 12.95x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | — | 6.91x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 8.09x | 3.40x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 21.13x |
Profitability & Efficiency
UTHR delivers a 18.8% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $19 in annual profit, vs $-3 for MIST. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), UTHR scores 7/9 vs MIST's 2/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | MISTMilestone Pharmac… | UTHRUnited Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -2.8% | +18.8% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -66.1% | +16.9% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -64.8% | +21.1% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -62.2% | +21.4% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 2 | 7 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 4.17x | — |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $29M | -$1.6B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $25M | $1.6B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $55M | $0 |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -14.42x | 88.89x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in UTHR five years ago would be worth $29,421 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $2,277 for MIST. Over the past 12 months, UTHR leads with a +57.4% total return vs MIST's +4.9%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors UTHR at 27.0% vs MIST's -18.5% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | MISTMilestone Pharmac… | UTHRUnited Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -16.6% | +1.4% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +4.9% | +57.4% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -45.9% | +104.8% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -77.2% | +194.2% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -88.9% | +313.2% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -18.5% | +27.0% |
Risk & Volatility
UTHR is the less volatile stock with a 0.43 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than MIST's 1.32 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. UTHR currently trades 93.8% from its 52-week high vs MIST's 55.9% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | MISTMilestone Pharmac… | UTHRUnited Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 1.32x | 0.43x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $3.06 | $537.00 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $0.63 | $266.98 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +55.9% | +93.8% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 39.6 | 58.6 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 2.5M | 274K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates MIST as "Buy" and UTHR as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 367.8% upside for MIST (target: $8) vs 11.8% for UTHR (target: $563).
| Metric | MISTMilestone Pharmac… | UTHRUnited Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $8.00 | $563.17 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 7 | 30 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | — | 1 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +4.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone Pharmaceu… (MIST) | 100 | 10.44 | -89.6% |
| United Therapeutics… (UTHR) | 100 | 457.48 | +357.5% |
United Therapeutics… (UTHR) returned +194% over 5 years vs Milestone Pharmaceu… (MIST)'s -77%. A $10,000 investment in UTHR 5 years ago would be worth $29,421 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone Pharmaceu… (MIST) | $0.00 | $0.00 | — |
| United Therapeutics… (UTHR) | $1.6B | $3.2B | +99.1% |
United Therapeutics Corporation's revenue grew from $1.6B (2016) to $3.2B (2025) — a 7.9% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone Pharmaceu… (MIST) | -2.9% | -59.7% | -1989.2% |
| United Therapeutics… (UTHR) | 44.6% | 41.9% | -6.1% |
United Therapeutics Corporation's net margin went from 45% (2016) to 42% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 8 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Therapeutics… (UTHR) | 15.9 | 17.5 | +10.1% |
United Therapeutics Corporation has traded in a 8x–22x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~18x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone Pharmaceu… (MIST) | -0.34 | -0.67 | -97.1% |
| United Therapeutics… (UTHR) | 15.25 | 27.86 | +82.7% |
United Therapeutics Corporation's EPS grew from $15.25 (2016) to $27.86 (2025) — a 7% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc. generated $-29M FCF in 2024 (+13% vs 2021). United Therapeutics Corporation generated $1B FCF in 2025 (+118% vs 2021).
MIST vs UTHR: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is MIST or UTHR a better buy right now?
United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR) offers the better valuation at 18.1x trailing P/E (16.9x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc. (MIST) a "Buy" — based on 7 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 — MIST or UTHR?
Over the past 5 years, United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR) delivered a total return of +194.2%, compared to -77.2% for Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc. (MIST). A $10,000 investment in UTHR five years ago would be worth approximately $29K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: UTHR returned +313.2% versus MIST's -88.9%. 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 — MIST or UTHR?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR) is the lower-risk stock at 0.43β versus Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s 1.32β — meaning MIST is approximately 205% more volatile than UTHR relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — MIST or UTHR?
United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR) is the more profitable company, earning 41.9% net margin versus 0.0% for Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc. — meaning it keeps 41.9% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: UTHR leads at 46.9% versus 0.0% for MIST. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — UTHR leads at 87.9%, 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.
05Is MIST or UTHR more undervalued right now?
Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for MIST: 367.8% to $8.00.
06Which pays a better dividend — MIST or UTHR?
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.
07Is MIST or UTHR better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.43), +313.2% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (UTHR: +313.2%, MIST: -88.9%), 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.
08What are the main differences between MIST and UTHR?
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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