Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of novel drug candidates for immune-inflammatory diseases in the United States. It operates through two segments, Therapeutics and Contract Research. The Therapeutics segment is involved in identifying and developing therapies to address significant unmet needs for immuno-inflammatory diseases. Its Contract Research segment provides laboratory services. The company also develops …
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Competitive advantage assessment
Key strengths
Conservative LeverageLeverage position is conservative vs peers (score 0.88). Balance sheet flexibility is a strategic asset for serial acquirers.
Key risks
Below-Peer Gross MarginsGross margin quality lags peers (score 0.07). May indicate commodity-like product mix or distributor margin drag.
Weak FCF GenerationFCF margin quality lags peers (score 0.07). Below-peer FCF conversion is a MedTech quality warning.
The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks
against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.
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Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. ranks #54 of 62
scored companies in Diagnostics & Research by moat score — the top 87%.
The widest moat in the group is IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (IDXX)
at 78/100.
Moat scores for companies ranked near ACRS in Diagnostics & Research
How ACRS scores on the Medical Devices & Diagnostics defenses
Pricing Power & Consumable Moat
Score 12
· 25% of the moat score
In MedTech, pricing power is rarely about the machine — it is about what the machine consumes.
R&D Pipeline & Capital Returns
Score 30
· 20% of the moat score
Research spending is how a device company keeps its installed base current, but spending alone proves nothing.
FCF Quality & Cash Conversion
Score 6
· 20% of the moat score
MedTech companies grow by acquisition, and the resulting intangible amortisation depresses reported earnings without consuming any cash.
Commercial Execution
Score 4
· 15% of the moat score
Devices are sold into hospitals and labs through committees, tenders and long qualification cycles, which makes the sales organisation expensive and hard to replicate.
Capital Structure & Resilience
Score 88
· 12% of the moat score
Serial acquirers carry debt, and the question is whether the cash flows underneath it are dependable enough to service it through a downturn.
Growth Durability
Score 15
· 8% of the moat score
Growth durability separates an expanding installed base from a good product cycle.
Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (ACRS) scores 18 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as weak. It ranks #54 of 62 scored companies in Diagnostics & Research, the top 87%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 61 companies in Diagnostics & Research. Its strongest defense is Capital Structure & Resilience (88/100) and its weakest is Commercial Execution (4/100).
How does Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. compare with other Diagnostics & Research companies?
Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. ranks #54 of 62 scored companies in Diagnostics & Research by moat score. The widest moat in Diagnostics & Research is IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (IDXX) at 78/100. The companies ranked closest are ENDRA Life Sciences Inc. (NDRA) at 19 just above it and ProPhase Labs, Inc. (PRPH) at 17 just below it.
How is the moat score calculated?
Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Medical Devices & Diagnostics 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 61 companies in Diagnostics & Research. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.
Why is Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. scored with the Medical Devices & Diagnostics template?
Medical device and diagnostics companies place an instrument once and then sell the consumables, reagents and service that instrument needs for the next decade. The economics are a razor-and-blade model wrapped in regulatory approval and clinician habit, so the MedTech template scores the durability of that installed base rather than the size of any single product launch.
Which competitive defenses are measured for Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc.?
The Medical Devices & Diagnostics template measures 6 defenses, and ACRS scores: Pricing Power & Consumable Moat (12), R&D Pipeline & Capital Returns (30), FCF Quality & Cash Conversion (6), Commercial Execution (4), Capital Structure & Resilience (88), Growth Durability (15). 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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