ACADIA Pharmaceuticals

ACAD

Biotechnology · Healthcare

Exchange

NASDAQ

Winston Score

Winston is curious

A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.

Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

How the score breaks down

Quality

Good

Growth

Strong

Cash Flow

Good

Stability

Good

Valuation

Good

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Winston Score History

The full picture

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals is a biotech company that makes medicines for diseases affecting the brain and nervous system. Its main approved drug is Nuplazid (pimavanserin), which treats hallucinations and delusions in people with Parkinson's disease psychosis — a condition with very few treatment options. A second drug, Daybue (trofinetide), was approved in 2023 to treat Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder mostly affecting young girls.

ACADIA makes money by selling these prescription drugs directly to patients and healthcare providers in the United States, where nearly all of its revenue comes from. The company's 91% gross margin reflects the high profitability typical of branded pharmaceuticals once a drug is approved and on the market. Its main competitive advantage is owning two drugs in rare or underserved conditions, but its biggest risk is heavy dependence on Nuplazid, which still drives most revenue and faces ongoing scrutiny over its safety profile and real-world effectiveness.

Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+16.4% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+12.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady EPS growth

Insider Activity

1.3%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$1.5B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 16%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale

Gross Margin

90.8%

Premium pricing power — 90.8% gross margin

Profit after running costs

Operating Margin

12.3%

Healthy — 12.3% operating margin

Return on the money invested

ROCE

6.6%

Weak — 6.6% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth

Sales YoY

+11.8%

Steady sales growth (+11.8% YoY)

Profit growth

EPS YoY

+67.9%

Earnings growing fast (+67.9% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

How steady the profit is

EPS Consistency

6/8 quarters

Earnings grew in most of the last 8 quarters

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash

Cash Conversion

42%

Weak — only 42% of profit becomes cash

Spare cash per sale

FCF Margin

12.8%

Converts sales into free cash efficiently (12.8%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns

Debt / Equity

N/A

Data not available

Covers its interest

Interest Cover

100.00x

—

Comfortably covers interest (100.0x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit

P/E Ratio (TTM)

13.1x

no trend

Attractive valuation — P/E 13.1

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year

P/E vs Forward

-6.1

SLOWING

Earnings expected to fall — forward P/E higher than today

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.

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