Pliant Therapeutics (PLRX) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLRX) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapies for fibrotic diseases. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Pliant applies a precision medicine approach to target integrin-mediated signaling pathways implicated in the development and progression of fibrosis across organ systems.

The company’s lead product candidate, PLN-74809, is an oral small molecule designed to inhibit both αvβ1 and αvβ6 integrins in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). In preclinical studies, Pliant has also advanced research-stage integrin modulators aimed at addressing fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy and other indications with high unmet medical need.

Founded in 2015, Pliant has built its research and development capabilities around translational biomarkers and validated preclinical models. The company’s clinical programs are conducted through multi‐center studies in North America, with plans to expand patient enrollment into additional geographies as part of global development efforts.

Leadership at Pliant is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Vikram Shembekar, who brings extensive biopharmaceutical development experience. The management team combines expertise in clinical development, regulatory strategy and commercialization planning, positioning the company to advance its integrin-targeted pipeline toward potential regulatory approvals and eventual patient access.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $1.61 to $1.89
• 50-Day Range: $1.16 to $1.86
• 52-Week Range: $1.10 to $16.10
• Volume: 3.43 million shs
• Average Volume: 865,742 shs
• Market Capitalization: $114.18 million
• P/E Ratio: N/A
• Dividend Yield: N/A
• Price Target: $8.19
• Consensus Rating: Hold

Pliant Therapeutics Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Pliant Therapeutics scored higher than 82% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 193rd out of 928 stocks in the medical sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 3.4 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Hold

Consensus Rating

Pliant Therapeutics has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.08, and is based on 1 buy rating, 12 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Upside Potential

Pliant Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $8.19, representing about 340.2% upside from its current price of $1.86.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Pliant Therapeutics has only been the subject of 2 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 0.6 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: Decreasing

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Pliant Therapeutics are expected to decrease in the coming year, from ($3.64) to ($3.72) per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Pliant Therapeutics is -0.55, which means that its earnings are negative and its P/E ratio cannot be compared to companies with positive earnings.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Pliant Therapeutics is -0.55, which means that its earnings are negative and its P/E ratio cannot be compared to companies with positive earnings.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Pliant Therapeutics has a P/B Ratio of 0.37. P/B Ratios below 1 indicate that a company could be undervalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 2.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Bearish

Percentage of Shares Shorted

5.41% of the outstanding shares of Pliant Therapeutics have been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Pliant Therapeutics has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.7, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Pliant Therapeutics has recently increased by 1.22%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing.

Dividend

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Dividend Strength: N/A

Dividend Yield

Pliant Therapeutics does not currently pay a dividend.

Dividend Growth

Pliant Therapeutics does not have a long track record of dividend growth.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 4.7 / 5
• Environmental Score: -0.73

Percentage of Shares Shorted

5.41% of the outstanding shares of Pliant Therapeutics have been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Pliant Therapeutics has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.7, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Pliant Therapeutics has recently increased by 1.22%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.5 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.39

News Sentiment

Pliant Therapeutics has a news sentiment score of 1.39. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.72 average news sentiment score of Medical companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 6 news articles for Pliant Therapeutics this week, compared to 3 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

4 people have searched for PLRX on MarketBeat in the last 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

Only 1 people have added Pliant Therapeutics to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -67% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Pliant Therapeutics insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 8.00% of the stock of Pliant Therapeutics is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

97.30% of the stock of Pliant Therapeutics is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

PLRX Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have PLRX shares performed this year?

Pliant Therapeutics' stock was trading at $13.17 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, PLRX stock has decreased by 85.9% and is now trading at $1.86.

How were Pliant Therapeutics' earnings last quarter?

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLRX) announced its earnings results on Thursday, August, 7th. The company reported ($0.71) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.62) by $0.09.

When did Pliant Therapeutics IPO?

Pliant Therapeutics (PLRX) raised $90 million in an initial public offering on Wednesday, June 3rd 2020. The company issued 6,000,000 shares at $14.00-$16.00 per share. Citigroup, Cowen and Piper Sandler acted as the underwriters for the IPO and Needham & Company was co-manager.

Who are Pliant Therapeutics' major shareholders?

Top institutional shareholders of Pliant Therapeutics include JPMorgan Chase & Co. (3.19%), Redmile Group LLC (2.66%), Peapod Lane Capital LLC (1.46%) and Monaco Asset Management SAM (1.14%). Insiders that own company stock include Bernard Coulie, Keith Lamont Cummings, Eric Lefebvre, Hans Hull and Mike Ouimette.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Pliant Therapeutics?

Shares of PLRX stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Pliant Therapeutics own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Pliant Therapeutics investors own include NVIDIA (NVDA), Meta Platforms (META), Broadcom (AVGO), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Adobe (ADBE), ServiceNow (NOW) and CrowdStrike (CRWD).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 8/07/2025
• Today: 9/07/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 11/06/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Medical
• Industry: MED - BIOMED/GENE
• Sub-Industry: Pharmaceutical Products
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:PLRX
• CIK: 1746473
• Web: pliantrx.com
• Phone: 650-481-6770
• Fax: N/A
• Employees: 90
• Year Founded: N/A

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Pliant Therapeutics: $8.19
• High Price Target: $38.00
• Low Price Target: $1.50
• Potential Upside/Downside: +340.2%
• Consensus Rating: Hold
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.08
• Research Coverage: 13 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): ($3.40)
• Trailing P/E Ratio: N/A
• Forward P/E Ratio: N/A
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: -$210.30 million
• Net Margins: N/A
• Pretax Margin: N/A
• Return on Equity: -73.45%
• Return on Assets: -55.66%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.14
• Current Ratio: 12.99
• Quick Ratio: 12.99

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $1.58 million
• Price / Sales: 72.27
• Cash Flow: N/A
• Price / Cash Flow: N/A
• Book Value: $5.00 per share
• Price / Book: 0.37

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 61,390,000
• Free Float: 56,477,000
• Market Cap: $114.19 million
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.43