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NuCana PLC (NCNA)



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Upturn Advisory Summary
06/30/2025: NCNA (1-star) is currently NOT-A-BUY. Pass it for now.
1 Year Target Price $104
1 Year Target Price $104
0 | Strong Buy |
0 | Buy |
1 | Hold |
0 | Sell |
0 | Strong Sell |
Analysis of Past Performance
Type Stock | Historic Profit -37.67% | Avg. Invested days 19 | Today’s Advisory PASS |
Upturn Star Rating ![]() ![]() | Upturn Advisory Performance ![]() | Stock Returns Performance ![]() |
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Key Highlights
Company Size Small-Cap Stock | Market Capitalization 21.90M USD | Price to earnings Ratio - | 1Y Target Price 104 |
Price to earnings Ratio - | 1Y Target Price 104 | ||
Volume (30-day avg) 1 | Beta 1.25 | 52 Weeks Range 0.03 - 10.79 | Updated Date 07/1/2025 |
52 Weeks Range 0.03 - 10.79 | Updated Date 07/1/2025 | ||
Dividends yield (FY) - | Basic EPS (TTM) -5.15 |
Earnings Date
Report Date - | When - | Estimate - | Actual - |
Profitability
Profit Margin - | Operating Margin (TTM) - |
Management Effectiveness
Return on Assets (TTM) -59.8% | Return on Equity (TTM) -204.6% |
Valuation
Trailing PE - | Forward PE - | Enterprise Value 12906643 | Price to Sales(TTM) - |
Enterprise Value 12906643 | Price to Sales(TTM) - | ||
Enterprise Value to Revenue - | Enterprise Value to EBITDA 0.3 | Shares Outstanding 381616000 | Shares Floating 149770450 |
Shares Outstanding 381616000 | Shares Floating 149770450 | ||
Percent Insiders - | Percent Institutions 0.12 |
Analyst Ratings
Rating 1 | Target Price 104 | Buy - | Strong Buy - |
Buy - | Strong Buy - | ||
Hold 1 | Sell - | Strong Sell - | |
Strong Sell - |
Upturn AI SWOT
NuCana PLC

Company Overview
History and Background
NuCana PLC is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing new medicines to improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients. Founded in 2008, NuCana has developed the ProTide technology to improve the efficacy and safety of nucleoside analogs, a type of anti-cancer medicine.
Core Business Areas
- ProTide Technology: NuCana's core technology, ProTides, are designed to overcome key cancer resistance mechanisms and improve the therapeutic index of nucleoside analogs.
- Acelarin: Acelarin is NuCana's lead product candidate, a ProTide transformation of gemcitabine, for the treatment of biliary tract cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer and other solid tumors.
Leadership and Structure
Hugh Griffith serves as the Chief Executive Officer. The company operates with a functional structure with departments dedicated to research, development, clinical trials, and commercialization.
Top Products and Market Share
Key Offerings
- Acelarin: Acelarin is NuCana's primary product candidate targeting various cancers. Market share data isn't readily available as it is in clinical trials. Competitors include generic gemcitabine, Eli Lilly's Gemzar, and other chemotherapy agents.
Market Dynamics
Industry Overview
The oncology market is large and growing, driven by an aging population and advancements in cancer treatment. The market is highly competitive, with numerous pharmaceutical companies developing new therapies.
Positioning
NuCana is positioned as an innovative company developing next-generation cancer therapies based on its ProTide technology. Its competitive advantage lies in potentially overcoming resistance mechanisms and improving drug efficacy.
Total Addressable Market (TAM)
The global oncology market is projected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars. NuCana is targeting specific cancer types within this larger market, focusing on areas of unmet need. NuCana PLC is positioned to capture a niche market segment if Acelarin is approved.
Upturn SWOT Analysis
Strengths
- Proprietary ProTide technology
- Potential to overcome cancer resistance
- Focus on areas of unmet medical need
- Experienced management team
Weaknesses
- Reliance on a single lead product candidate (Acelarin)
- Clinical trial risks
- Limited financial resources
- Dependence on regulatory approvals
Opportunities
- Successful clinical trial outcomes
- Regulatory approvals and commercialization
- Partnerships and collaborations
- Expansion into new cancer indications
Threats
- Clinical trial failures
- Competition from established pharmaceutical companies
- Regulatory hurdles
- Patent expirations
- Difficulty raising capital
Competitors and Market Share
Key Competitors
- LLY
- TEVA
- MYL
Competitive Landscape
NuCana faced significant competition from established pharmaceutical companies with greater resources and more advanced product pipelines.
Growth Trajectory and Initiatives
Historical Growth: NuCana's growth has been limited due to its developmental stage and challenges with its lead product candidate.
Future Projections: Given the company's current situation (halting clinical trials and pending delisting), future growth prospects are uncertain.
Recent Initiatives: NuCana had been focused on clinical trials for Acelarin and exploring potential partnerships, but these initiatives are currently on hold.
Summary
NuCana PLC is/was a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company facing significant challenges. Its future is uncertain due to the halt of clinical trials. The company's innovative ProTide technology held promise, but clinical trial failures and financial constraints have significantly impacted its prospects. Successfully navigating the regulatory and competitive landscape proved difficult for NuCana.
Peer Comparison
Sources and Disclaimers
Data Sources:
- SEC Filings
- Company Press Releases
- Analyst Reports
Disclaimers:
This analysis is based on publicly available information and is not financial advice. The information provided may not be entirely up-to-date due to the company's recent changes in status.
AI Summarization is directionally correct and might not be accurate.
Summarized information shown could be a few years old and not current.
Fundamental Rating based on AI could be based on old data.
AI-generated summaries may have inaccuracies (hallucinations). Please verify the information before taking action.
About NuCana PLC
Exchange NASDAQ | Headquaters - | ||
IPO Launch date 2017-09-28 | Founder, CEO & Executive Director Mr. Hugh Stephen Griffith | ||
Sector Healthcare | Industry Biotechnology | Full time employees 20 | Website https://www.nucana.com |
Full time employees 20 | Website https://www.nucana.com |
NuCana plc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of medicines to treat patients with cancer. It applies its ProTide technology to transform prescribed chemotherapy agents and nucleoside analogs into medicines. The company is developing medicines to overcome the limitations of nucleoside analogs and generate anti-cancer metabolites in cancer cells. Its pipeline includes NUC-3373, a chemical entity derived from the nucleoside analog 5-fluorouracil that is in Phase 1b/2 study in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer; Phase 2 clinical trial for the second-line treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer; and Phase 1 modular clinical trial for patients with advanced solid tumors and lung cancer. The company is also developing NUC-7738, a ProTide transformation of 3'-deoxyadenosine, which is in the Phase 2 part of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for patients with advanced solid tumors. The company has an assignment, license, and collaboration agreement with Cardiff ProTides Ltd to discover, drug design, and in vitro screen purine and pyrimidine-based nucleosides as potential drug candidates. The company was formerly known as NuCana BioMed Limited and changed its name to NuCana plc in August 2017. NuCana plc was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Edinburgh, the United Kingdom.
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