ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of medicines for central nervous system (CNS) disorders and rare diseases in the United States. The company offers NUPLAZID (pimavanserin) for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson's disease psychosis; and DAYBUE, a novel synthetic analog of the amino-terminal tripeptide of insulin-like growth factor 1 for …
Full ACAD analysis →
Competitive advantage assessment
Key strengths
Margins Stable Across CyclesOperating margin volatility is low (stability score 0.91), demonstrating pricing resilience across cycles.
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. ranks #27 of 713
scored companies in Biotechnology by moat score — the top 4%.
The widest moat in the group is Royalty Pharma plc (RPRX)
at 85/100.
Moat scores for companies ranked near ACAD in Biotechnology
Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.
Cost Advantage
Score 85
· 15% of the moat score
A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.
Customer Stickiness
Score 90
· 15% of the moat score
Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.
Capital Efficiency
Score 74
· 18% of the moat score
Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.
Resilience
Score 59
· 17% of the moat score
Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.
Scale & Market Position
Score 64
· 15% of the moat score
Scale matters only when it converts into economics.
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD) scores 75 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #27 of 713 scored companies in Biotechnology, the top 4%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 712 companies in Biotechnology. Its strongest defense is Customer Stickiness (90/100) and its weakest is Resilience (59/100).
How does ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. compare with other Biotechnology companies?
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. ranks #27 of 713 scored companies in Biotechnology by moat score. The widest moat in Biotechnology is Royalty Pharma plc (RPRX) at 85/100. The companies ranked closest are Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (RIGL) at 76 just above it and BeiGene, Ltd. (ONC) at 75 just below it.
How is the moat score calculated?
Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 712 companies in Biotechnology. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.
Why is ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. scored with the Corporate Default template?
Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.
Which competitive defenses are measured for ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.?
The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and ACAD scores: Pricing Power (78), Cost Advantage (85), Customer Stickiness (90), Capital Efficiency (74), Resilience (59), Scale & Market Position (64). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.
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