Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (VIR) vs Summit Therapeutics Inc. (SMMT) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
Selected Stocks
Add up to 10 tickers. Use presets or search to get started.
Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Stability / Safety | SMMT | Beta 1.40 vs VIR's 1.49, lower leverage |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | VIR | +8.3% vs SMMT's -19.8% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | VIR | -43.7% ROA vs SMMT's -143.7%, ROIC -40.3% 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
Vir Biotechnology is a commercial-stage immunology company that develops antibody-based therapies to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. It generates revenue primarily through product sales of its COVID-19 antibody treatment Xevudy and collaboration payments from partners like GSK and Brii Biosciences. The company's key advantage lies in its antibody engineering platform that can identify and optimize potent antibodies against challenging viral targets.
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
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
VIR leads in 2 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). SMMT leads in 1 (Total Returns). 2 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
VIR and SMMT operate at a comparable scale, with $69M and $0 in trailing revenue.
| Metric | VIRVir Biotechnology… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $69M | $0 |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$456M | -$812M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$438M | -$1.1B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$392M | -$324M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +100.0% | — |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -6.8% | — |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -6.4% | — |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -5.7% | — |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +4.2% | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +59.2% | -2.4% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | VIRVir Biotechnology… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $1.3B | $12.9B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $1.2B | $12.7B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -2.88x | -11.52x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 18.49x | — |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 1.65x | 18.83x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
VIR delivers a -57.2% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $-57 in annual profit, vs $-164 for SMMT. SMMT carries lower financial leverage with a 0.03x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to VIR's 0.24x. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), VIR scores 3/9 vs SMMT's 1/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | VIRVir Biotechnology… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -57.2% | -163.9% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -43.7% | -143.7% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -40.3% | -163.4% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -42.8% | -151.5% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 3 | 1 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.24x | 0.03x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$47M | -$204M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $234M | $225M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $187M | $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 $1,362 for VIR. Over the past 12 months, VIR leads with a +8.3% total return vs SMMT's -19.8%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors SMMT at 109.7% vs VIR's -26.4% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | VIRVir Biotechnology… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +53.0% | -5.3% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +8.3% | -19.8% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -60.1% | +821.7% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -86.4% | +150.6% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -35.2% | +145.8% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -26.4% | +109.7% |
Risk & Volatility
SMMT is the less volatile stock with a 1.40 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than VIR's 1.49 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. VIR currently trades 83.1% from its 52-week high vs SMMT's 44.9% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | VIRVir Biotechnology… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 1.49x | 1.40x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $10.94 | $36.91 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $4.16 | $13.83 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +83.1% | +44.9% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 66.1 | 50.1 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 1.5M | 2.3M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates VIR as "Buy" and SMMT as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 126.3% upside for VIR (target: $21) vs 56.7% for SMMT (target: $26).
| Metric | VIRVir Biotechnology… | SMMTSummit Therapeuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $20.57 | $26.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 12 | 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 | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vir Biotechnology, … (VIR) | 100 | 17.13 | -82.9% |
| Summit Therapeutics… (SMMT) | 100 | 878.75 | +778.8% |
Summit Therapeutics… (SMMT) returned +151% over 5 years vs Vir Biotechnology, … (VIR)'s -86%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vir Biotechnology, … (VIR) | $149000.00 | $69M | +45910.7% |
| 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 | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vir Biotechnology, … (VIR) | -468.8% | -6.4% | +98.6% |
| Summit Therapeutics… (SMMT) | -7.4% | -111.9% | -1407.4% |
Chart 4EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vir Biotechnology, … (VIR) | -10.02 | -3.16 | +68.5% |
| 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
Vir Biotechnology, Inc. generated $-397M FCF in 2025 (-471% vs 2021). Summit Therapeutics Inc. generated $-324M FCF in 2025 (-344% vs 2021).
VIR vs SMMT: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is VIR or SMMT a better buy right now?
Analysts rate Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (VIR) a "Buy" — based on 12 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 — VIR or SMMT?
Over the past 5 years, Summit Therapeutics Inc. (SMMT) delivered a total return of +150.6%, compared to -86.4% for Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (VIR). 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 VIR's -35.2%. 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 — VIR or SMMT?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Summit Therapeutics Inc. (SMMT) is the lower-risk stock at 1.40β versus Vir Biotechnology, Inc.'s 1.49β — meaning VIR is approximately 6% more volatile than SMMT relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Summit Therapeutics Inc. (SMMT) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 3% versus 24% for Vir Biotechnology, Inc. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
04Which has better profit margins — VIR or SMMT?
Summit Therapeutics Inc. (SMMT) is the more profitable company, earning 0.0% net margin versus -638.9% for Vir Biotechnology, Inc. — meaning it keeps 0.0% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: SMMT leads at 0.0% versus -682.7% for VIR. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — VIR leads at 82.9%, 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.
05Which pays a better dividend — VIR 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 VIR or SMMT better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Summit Therapeutics Inc. (SMMT) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (+145.8% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (SMMT: +145.8%, VIR: -35.2%), 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 VIR 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.
Find Stocks Like These
Explore pre-built screens for each stock's profile, or build a custom screen to find stocks that beat both.