COMPARE · Data as of August 27, 2026
AUPH vs NKTR
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AUPH scored 72.8, NKTR scored 25.8 — AUPH leads.
Compare another set
AUPH
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
72.8
$16.75 · $2.2B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
47.0
AUPH leads
NKTR
Nektar Therapeutics
25.8
$74.55 · $2.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthAUPH+20.4%
- Strongest balance sheetAUPH0.10
- Highest qualityAUPH74 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueAUPH-8%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AUPH
stronger →← stronger
NKTR
74
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
18
60
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
14
87
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
69
AUPH is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AUPH
NKTR
$175mC
FCF
-$234mF
+20.4%A-
Rev
-43.9%F
0.10B+
D/E
0.15B+
7.3xA
P/E
—
0.57A-
PEG
0.31A
—
P/S
46.6xD
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
AUPH
NKTR
8% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
—
~6%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
—
-4%
1-yr DCF upside
—
+9%
5-yr DCF upside
—
+29%
10-yr DCF upside
—
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AUPH
Why this score
- Earnings outpace cash
NKTR
Why this score
- Diluting shareholders
The companies
AUPHAurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Why now
Biotechnology · market cap $2.2b. 13% off the 52-week high of $19.25. Revenue growing +20%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.57 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 7 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $17.86 (implying +7% upside).
Moat
ROE 51% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. Pharma moat is patent runway + pipeline depth — a single approved molecule funds the next generation of bets. Late-stage trials carry binary readouts that swing valuation 30%+.
Risk
Beta 1.40 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return. Trial-readout binary — late-stage clinical trials carry approve/reject outcomes that swing valuation 30%+; the equity is effectively a portfolio of these binary events, not a steady cash-flow business.
NKTRNektar Therapeutics
Why now
Biotechnology · market cap $2.5b. Down 32% from 52-week high of $109.00 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue -44% — in contraction; any catalyst that reverses this triggers re-rating. PEG 0.31 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 10 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $144.40 (implying +94% upside).
Moat
Pharma moat is patent runway + pipeline depth — a single approved molecule funds the next generation of bets. Late-stage trials carry binary readouts that swing valuation 30%+.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$234m) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Revenue contracting -44% — the operational turn is not yet visible in the top line. Down 32% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AUPH and NKTR diverge
On the headline score the gap is 47.0 points in favor of AUPH. The widest single difference is Quality, where AUPH leads by 56.0 points.
- QualityAUPH 74.0 · NKTR 18.0AUPH +56.0
- GrowthAUPH 60.3 · NKTR 13.8AUPH +46.5
- ValueAUPH 86.6 · NKTR 69.0AUPH +17.6
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.