Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (PLX) vs Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) 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 | ASND | 90.2% revenue growth vs PLX's -18.5% |
| Value | PLX | Lower P/E (14.4x vs 49.1x) |
| Quality / Margins | PLX | 8.7% net margin vs ASND's -31.7% |
| Stability / Safety | ASND | Beta 0.24 vs PLX's 0.74 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | ASND | +49.1% vs PLX's +23.6% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | PLX | 6.6% ROA vs ASND's -17.5%, ROIC 8.8% vs -69.1% |
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
Protalix BioTherapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes recombinant therapeutic proteins using its proprietary plant cell-based expression system. It generates revenue primarily from sales of Elelyso for Gaucher disease and through partnerships with pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Chiesi Farmaceutici. The company's key competitive advantage is its ProCellEx platform — a plant-based protein expression technology that offers potential manufacturing and cost advantages over traditional mammalian cell systems.
Ascendis Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies using its proprietary TransCon technology platform. It generates revenue primarily from sales of its approved growth hormone therapy SKYTROFA and through strategic partnerships — with future revenue expected from its pipeline of endocrinology and oncology treatments. The company's key competitive advantage is its TransCon platform, which enables sustained release of therapeutics with improved pharmacokinetics and reduced dosing frequency.
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
ASND leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Total Returns). PLX leads in 2 (Valuation Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency).
Financial Metrics (TTM)
ASND is the larger business by revenue, generating $718M annually — 11.6x PLX's $62M. PLX is the more profitable business, keeping 8.7% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to ASND's -31.7%. On growth, ASND holds the edge at +41.0% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | PLXProtalix BioThera… | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $62M | $718M |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $8M | -$119M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $5M | -$228M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$12M | $43M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +57.5% | +86.3% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +10.3% | -19.0% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +8.7% | -31.7% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -18.9% | +6.0% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -0.6% | +41.0% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -11.0% | +15.6% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | PLXProtalix BioThera… | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $218M | $14.3B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $204M | $14.6B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 78.69x | -54.69x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 14.40x | 49.09x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 39.11x | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 4.09x | 17.57x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 5.40x | — |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 29.55x | 278.56x |
Profitability & Efficiency
On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), PLX scores 6/9 vs ASND's 5/9, reflecting solid financial health.
| Metric | PLXProtalix BioThera… | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +10.2% | — |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +6.6% | -17.5% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +8.8% | -69.1% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +9.0% | -51.9% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 6 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.13x | — |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$14M | $256M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $20M | $616M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $6M | $871M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 7.65x | -0.62x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in ASND five years ago would be worth $14,939 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $5,914 for PLX. Over the past 12 months, ASND leads with a +49.1% total return vs PLX's +23.6%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors ASND at 28.1% vs PLX's 14.1% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | PLXProtalix BioThera… | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +65.5% | +9.5% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +23.6% | +49.1% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +48.5% | +110.2% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -40.9% | +49.4% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -65.4% | +1245.8% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +14.1% | +28.1% |
Risk & Volatility
ASND is the less volatile stock with a 0.24 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than PLX's 0.74 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. ASND currently trades 96.5% from its 52-week high vs PLX's 90.3% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | PLXProtalix BioThera… | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.74x | 0.24x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $3.19 | $242.00 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $1.32 | $124.06 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +90.3% | +96.5% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 64.8 | 54.8 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 1.1M | 573K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates PLX as "Buy" and ASND as "Buy".
| Metric | PLXProtalix BioThera… | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $286.50 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 7 | 24 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | — | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +0.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protalix BioTherape… (PLX) | 100 | 74.71 | -25.3% |
| Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) | 100 | 165.23 | +65.2% |
Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) returned +49% over 5 years vs Protalix BioTherape… (PLX)'s -41%. A $10,000 investment in ASND 5 years ago would be worth $14,939 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protalix BioTherape… (PLX) | $9M | $53M | +480.5% |
| Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) | $5M | $692M | +14917.6% |
Ascendis Pharma A/S's revenue grew from $5M (2016) to $692M (2025) — a 74.5% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protalix BioTherape… (PLX) | -3.2% | 5.5% | +272.0% |
| Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) | -14.9% | -31.7% | -112.9% |
Ascendis Pharma A/S's net margin went from -15% (2016) to -32% (2025).
Chart 4EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protalix BioTherape… (PLX) | -0.29 | 0.04 | +112.6% |
| Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) | -2.58 | -3.62 | -40.3% |
Ascendis Pharma A/S's EPS grew from $-2.58 (2016) to $-3.62 (2025).
Chart 5Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. generated $7M FCF in 2024 (+163% vs 2021). Ascendis Pharma A/S generated $44M FCF in 2025 (+110% vs 2021).
PLX vs ASND: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is PLX or ASND a better buy right now?
Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (PLX) offers the better valuation at 78.7x trailing P/E (14.4x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (PLX) 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 has the better valuation — PLX or ASND?
On forward P/E, Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. is actually cheaper at 14.4x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — PLX or ASND?
Over the past 5 years, Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) delivered a total return of +49.4%, compared to -40.9% for Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (PLX). A $10,000 investment in ASND five years ago would be worth approximately $15K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: ASND returned +1246% versus PLX's -65.4%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — PLX or ASND?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) is the lower-risk stock at 0.24β versus Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.'s 0.74β — meaning PLX is approximately 213% more volatile than ASND relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — PLX or ASND?
Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (PLX) is the more profitable company, earning 5.5% net margin versus -31.7% for Ascendis Pharma A/S — meaning it keeps 5.5% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: PLX leads at 7.3% versus -18.9% for ASND. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — ASND leads at 85.1%, 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.
06Is PLX or ASND more undervalued right now?
On forward earnings alone, Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (PLX) trades at 14.4x forward P/E versus 49.1x for Ascendis Pharma A/S — 34.7x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis.
07Which pays a better dividend — PLX or ASND?
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.
08Is PLX or ASND better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.24), +1246% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (ASND: +1246%, PLX: -65.4%), 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.
09What are the main differences between PLX and ASND?
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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