Poolbeg Pharma Ltd. (POLB) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: £30.68M
• Dividend Yield: N/A
• Average Volume (3M): 1.12M
• Price to Earnings (P/E): ―
• Beta (1Y): 1.02
• Revenue Growth: N/A
• EPS Growth: N/A
• Country: UK
• Employees: 15
• Sector: Healthcare
• Sector Strength: 45
• Industry: Biotechnology
• EPS (TTM): >-0.01
• Shares Outstanding: 697,200,000
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 836,211
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 1,116,415
• PEG Ratio: 0.06
• Price to Book (P/B): 3.82
• Price to Sales (P/S): 0.00
• P/FCF Ratio: -7.42
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: N/A
• 1Y Price Target: N/A
• Price Target Upside: N/A
• Rating Consensus: N/A
• Number of Analyst Covering: 0
• EPS Forecast (FY): N/A
• Revenue Forecast (FY): N/A

• Rating: 49 Neutral
• Price Target: 4.50p ▲(26.76% Upside)

The score is primarily held back by weak financial performance (no revenue, widening losses, and ongoing cash burn with declining equity), partially offset by a debt-free balance sheet. Technicals are moderately supportive with price above key longer-term moving averages and neutral momentum. Valuation remains unattractive/unclear because the company is loss-making and offers no dividend yield.

Positive Factors

Debt-free balance sheet

A zero-debt capital structure materially reduces solvency and interest-rate risk for a clinical-stage biotech. This durable strength preserves flexibility to raise equity or structure partnership deals without debt covenants, improving resilience through development cycles.

Human challenge trial approach

Using human challenge trials to generate early clinical proof reduces time, cost and uncertainty for infectious-disease assets. That structural de-risking can accelerate proof-of-concept milestones, making programs more attractive to partners and improving chances of timely licensing.

Partner-led monetization model

A business model focused on advancing to value-inflection points and out-licensing is capital-efficient and avoids the costs of commercial infrastructure. Over time this allows focused R&D spending and scalable value capture through deals and royalties rather than building a sales organization.

Negative Factors

No revenue, widening losses

Sustained lack of product revenue and expanding net losses mean the company must rely on external funding or partner deals to progress assets. Persistent losses erode capital, raise dilution risk, and constrain the firm’s ability to independently advance multiple programs over the medium term.

Rising cash burn and weak cash generation

Consistently negative operating and free cash flows with rising burn create structural funding pressure. Because cash outflows closely track accounting losses, the company will repeatedly need financing or deal milestones to sustain R&D cadence, risking program delays if funding gaps occur.

Eroding equity and asset base

Substantial declines in shareholders' equity and total assets indicate cumulative losses have materially weakened the capital base. This reduces financial cushion, may impair negotiating leverage with partners or licensors, and increases vulnerability to adverse clinical or funding events.

Poolbeg Pharma Ltd. Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Poolbeg Pharma plc operates as a clinical stage infectious disease pharmaceutical company in the United Kingdom. It develops POLB 001, a p38 MAP Kinase inhibitor for the treatment of severe influenza; POLB 002, an in­licensed first­in­class intranasally administered RNA­based immunotherapy for respiratory virus infections; and POLB 003, an intramuscular vaccine to prevent Melioidosis. The company also has a licensed access to micro­ and nanoencapsulation technology to develop an oral vaccine delivery platform that delivers immune stimulating antigens to various areas of the gut; and artificial intelligence powered drug program. In addition, it is involved in the development of biomarker platform to identify those at risk of developing severe disease; and vaccine discovery platform, a model-derived discovery platform to identify new vaccine candidates. Poolbeg Pharma plc was incorporated in 2021 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

How the Company Makes Money

Poolbeg Pharma Ltd. Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Financials reflect an early-stage biotech with no revenue (2021–2024), widening losses in 2024, and persistent cash burn with negative operating and free cash flow. The main offsetting strength is a debt-free balance sheet, but declining equity and assets indicate ongoing capital depletion.

Income Statement

The company has reported no revenue across 2021–2024, while losses have widened in the latest year (net loss of ~£5.8m in 2024 vs ~£3.9m in 2023). Operating losses remain sizable (EBIT of ~-£6.6m in 2024), indicating the business is still in a heavy investment/burn phase with limited near-term earnings visibility. A positive is that the company carries no debt, which reduces financial strain, but the lack of revenue and worsening profitability weigh heavily on the income statement quality.

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is conservatively financed with zero debt across all periods, which is a meaningful strength and lowers solvency risk. However, equity has declined materially (from ~£22.6m in 2021 to ~£9.3m in 2024) alongside shrinking assets (from ~£23.0m to ~£10.2m), reflecting sustained losses and cash usage. Returns on equity are consistently negative and deteriorated in 2024, highlighting ongoing value erosion despite the clean leverage profile.

Cash Flow

Cash generation remains weak with consistently negative operating cash flow and free cash flow (2024 operating cash flow ~-£4.6m; free cash flow ~-£4.8m). Burn increased versus 2023, suggesting rising cash needs. Free cash flow was roughly in line with net loss (about 1.03x in 2024), which implies losses are largely translating into cash outflows rather than being offset by non-cash items—raising the importance of future funding or commercialization progress.

Breakdown	TTM	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Gross Profit	-127.00K	-114.00K	-26.00K	-26.00K	-18.00K
EBITDA	-5.69M	-6.00M	-4.66M	-4.75M	-2.32M
Net Income	-5.71M	-5.79M	-3.93M	-4.69M	-2.34M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	12.36M	10.25M	15.43M	19.29M	23.02M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	9.96M	7.82M	12.17M	16.19M	20.95M
Total Debt	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Total Liabilities	429.00K	974.00K	986.00K	966.00K	438.00K
Stockholders Equity	11.93M	9.27M	14.44M	18.32M	22.58M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	-4.73M	-4.78M	-4.02M	-4.96M	-2.23M
Operating Cash Flow	-4.73M	-4.65M	-3.85M	-4.37M	-2.15M
Investing Cash Flow	143.00K	299.00K	359.00K	-388.00K	-81.00K
Financing Cash Flow	4.49M	0.00	0.00	0.00	23.18M

Poolbeg Pharma Ltd. Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
HVO	73 Outperform	£41.22M	7.69	―	2.94%	11.92%	-33.76%
APTA	52 Neutral	£23.60M	-6.25	-213.66%	―	39.88%	81.33%
Sector *	51 Neutral	$7.86B	-0.30	-43.30%	2.27%	22.53%	-2.21%
POLB	49 Neutral	£30.68M	-3.86	-46.84%	―	―	―
SAR	47 Neutral	£24.16M	-5.19	-202.14%	―	―	23.76%
HEMO	47 Neutral	£44.46M	-3.32	-609.30%	―	―	―
IMM	46 Neutral	£31.97M	-7.15	-259.88%	―	―	―

Poolbeg Pharma Ltd. Corporate Events

Poolbeg Pharma bolsters case for POLB 001 with positive peer‑reviewed trial data

Poolbeg Pharma has reported the peer‑reviewed publication of clinical data from its POLB 001 LPS human challenge trial in Frontiers in Immunology, reinforcing the drug’s mechanism of action and safety profile. The randomised, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled study in healthy volunteers showed that oral POLB 001 significantly reduced key inflammatory biomarkers, including TNF, IL‑6 and IL‑8, and curtailed recruitment of several immune cell types, while being well tolerated across dose levels. These findings validate POLB 001 as a potent inhibitor of p38 MAPK‑driven cytokine responses, supporting continued clinical development and bolstering its proposed role in preventing cancer immunotherapy‑induced Cytokine Release Syndrome, a move that could ultimately broaden access to advanced oncology treatments and ease pressure on specialist cancer centres.

The most recent analyst rating on (GB:POLB) stock is a Hold with a £4.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Poolbeg Pharma Ltd. stock, see the GB:POLB Stock Forecast page.

Poolbeg Pharma Increases Share Capital After Option Exercises

Poolbeg Pharma has issued and allotted 7,903,778 new ordinary shares following the exercise of share options by former employees, with admission of the new shares to trading on AIM expected on 3 February 2026. Following this admission, the company’s total shares in issue and voting rights will rise to 705,103,778, a new denominator for investors assessing disclosure thresholds under UK transparency rules.

The most recent analyst rating on (GB:POLB) stock is a Hold with a £4.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Poolbeg Pharma Ltd. stock, see the GB:POLB Stock Forecast page.

Poolbeg Pharma Anticipates Clinical Breakthroughs Following a Year of Progress in 2025

Poolbeg Pharma reported significant advancements in 2025, culminating in a successful fundraise and strategic preparations for upcoming clinical trials in 2026. Key developments include progress with POLB 001, central to a multi-centre TOPICAL trial addressing CRS in cancer immunotherapy, and an innovative obesity therapy program. Positioned as a leader in cancer immunotherapy solutions and leveraging substantial funding, Poolbeg is preparing for major clinical milestones and partnerships, enhancing its market potential and opportunities in healthcare innovation.

Poolbeg Pharma Leads in Groundbreaking Cancer Immunotherapy Research

Poolbeg Pharma has announced its participation as the lead business partner in the RISE programme, a groundbreaking research initiative into cancer immunotherapy-induced Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), led by The University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Supported by a £3.4 million grant from the Medical Research Council, the programme will feature the POLB 001 TOPICAL trial and aims to enhance the safety and delivery of advanced cancer immunotherapies. This collaboration, involving partners like Johnson & Johnson, reflects the growing recognition of the need to manage CRS, which is a significant barrier to the broader adoption of these therapies.

Poolbeg Pharma Secures European Patent for POLB 001

Poolbeg Pharma has been granted a European patent for POLB 001, a p38 MAP kinase inhibitor, for treating severe influenza and cancer immunotherapy-induced Cytokine Release Syndrome. This strengthens Poolbeg’s global intellectual property portfolio, enhancing the value and appeal of POLB 001 to potential partners and addressing significant unmet medical needs in healthcare.