Pliant TherapeuticsPLRX 31 Piotroski F-Score is 4 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 100% above its 10-year median of 2.00. GuruFocus rates PLRX with a GF Score™ of 31/100. The stock has 2 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,342 Biotechnology companies, Pliant Therapeutics ranks better than 74.22% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Pliant Therapeutics has an F-score of 4 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for Pliant Therapeutics's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
PLRX'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 1 Med: 2 Max: 4
Current: 4
During the past 8 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Pliant Therapeutics was 4. The lowest was 1. And the median was 2.
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Pliant Therapeutics Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Pliant Therapeutics Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Pliant Therapeutics's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
PLRX vs RLYB, LIXT, CSBR: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Biotechnology subindustry, Pliant Therapeutics's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Pliant Therapeutics Piotroski F-Score vs Biotechnology Industry
For the Biotechnology industry and Healthcare sector, Pliant Therapeutics's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Pliant Therapeutics's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Pliant Therapeutics's current Net Income (TTM) was -113.22.
==> Negative ==> Score 0.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Pliant Therapeutics's return on assets of this year was -0.32838704. Pliant Therapeutics's return on assets of last year was -0.42084528.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Pliant Therapeutics's gearing of this year was 0.10033595. Pliant Therapeutics's gearing of last year was 0.13545511.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Pliant Therapeutics's current ratio of this year was 16.88676513. Pliant Therapeutics's current ratio of last year was 11.03396802.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Pliant Therapeutics's number of shares in issue this year was 61.803. Pliant Therapeutics's number of shares in issue last year was 61.223.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Pliant Therapeutics's gross margin of this year was . Pliant Therapeutics's gross margin of last year was .
==> Last year's gross margin is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Pliant Therapeutics's asset turnover of this year was 0. Pliant Therapeutics's asset turnover of last year was 0.
==> Last year's asset turnover is higher ==> Score 0.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
=
Que. 1
+
Que. 2
+
Que. 3
+
Que. 4
+
Que. 5
+
Que. 6
+
Que. 7
+
Que. 8
+
Que. 9
=
0
+
0
+
1
+
1
+
1
+
1
+
0
+
0
+
0
=
4
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Pliant Therapeutics has an F-score of 4 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
Pliant Therapeutics (PLRX) has a Piotroski F-Score of 4 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Pliant Therapeutics and its competitors. This is 100% above median its historical median of 2.00. Over the past decade, Pliant Therapeutics' Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 1.00 to 4.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Pliant Therapeutics ranks #346 out of 1342 companies in the Biotechnology industry, placing it in the top 25.8%.
Is Pliant Therapeutics' Piotroski F-Score too high?
Pliant Therapeutics' current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is 100% above median its 10-year median of 2.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 1.00 to a high of 4.00. The Biotechnology industry median Piotroski F-Score is 3.00. Pliant Therapeutics' value of 4 is 33.3% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Pliant Therapeutics ranks #346 out of 1342 companies in the Biotechnology industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Pliant Therapeutics has a GF Score™ of 31/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Pliant Therapeutics' Piotroski F-Score compare to RLYB and LIXT?
According to the Biotechnology industry distribution chart, Pliant Therapeutics ranks #346 out of 1342 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This puts Pliant Therapeutics in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 3.00. Pliant Therapeutics' value of 4 is 33.3% above this benchmark. Historically, Pliant Therapeutics' own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 1.00 to 4.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 2.00 vs. the industry median of 3.00, Pliant Therapeutics has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Biotechnology company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Biotechnology companies is 3.00, based on 1,342 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Pliant Therapeutics's current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is 33.3% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Pliant Therapeutics and its competitors. For the Biotechnology industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 3.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Pliant Therapeutics's current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is 100% above median its own 10-year median of 2.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Pliant Therapeutics stock overvalued right now?
Pliant Therapeutics (PLRX) has a current Piotroski F-Score of 4. The current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is 100% above median its 10-year median of 2.00 and 33.3% above the Biotechnology industry median of 3.00. Pliant Therapeutics' overall GF Score™ is 31/100 with 2 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Pliant Therapeutics (PLRX), the current Piotroski F-Score is 4 as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Pliant Therapeutics Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of integrin-based therapies. The company operates as a single reportable segment focused on developing and commercializing novel integrin-based treatments. Its lead product candidate, PLN-101095, is an oral small molecule targeting integrins for the treatment of solid tumors. The company also advances a pipeline of integrin-based programs across multiple disease areas through its proprietary drug discovery platform.
31GF Score
Get the complete analysis for PLRX
Piotroski F-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
PLRX has been successfully added to your 
