LYEL
HealthcareLyell Immunopharma, Inc. · Biotechnology · $400M
What is Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.?
Lyell Immunopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on engineering T cell therapies for patients with solid tumors. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in South San Francisco, California, the company is building a pipeline around proprietary T cell reprogramming platforms.
Lyell develops next-generation T cell therapies using two core technology platforms — Gen-R and Epi-R — designed to overcome common limitations of existing cell therapies, such as T cell exhaustion and poor durability. The company generates revenue potential through pipeline advancement and collaboration agreements, including a partnership with GlaxoSmithKline for its NY-ESO-1 program. As a pre-revenue clinical-stage company, Lyell reinvests all resources into research and development.
Lyell Immunopharma was incorporated in 2018 and is based in South San Francisco, California.
- Gen-R: ex vivo genetic reprogramming to counter T cell exhaustion
- Epi-R: epigenetic reprogramming for durable T cell stemness
- LYL797: candidate targeting non-small cell lung cancer and triple negative breast cancer
- LYL845: broad solid tumor T cell therapy candidate
- NY-ESO-1: GSK-partnered program for synovial sarcoma and other solid tumors
Is LYEL a Good Stock to Buy?
UQS Score rates LYEL as Poor overall, reflecting the early-stage nature of the business and the significant uncertainties that come with clinical-stage biotech investing.
Among the five pillars, Risk stands out as the relative bright spot — suggesting the company's balance sheet and near-term financial structure carry less immediate danger than many peers at a similar development stage. Valuation is rated Elevated, which is common for pre-revenue biotechs where market pricing reflects speculative pipeline potential.
Quality, Moat, and Growth all register as Weak, consistent with a company that has no commercial revenue, an unproven competitive position, and a pipeline still in early clinical trials.
See the full pillar breakdown and detailed financial metrics by signing up for a UQS Pro account. Sign up free →
Past performance does not guarantee future results. UQS Score is based on fundamental data and is not a buy/sell recommendation.
Does LYEL pay dividends?
No — Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.
Lyell Immunopharma does not pay a dividend, which is typical for clinical-stage biotechnology companies. All available capital is directed toward research, clinical trials, and platform development. Investors in LYEL are generally seeking pipeline-driven appreciation rather than income, and a dividend is unlikely until the company reaches commercial-stage profitability.
When does LYEL report earnings?
Lyell Immunopharma reports financial results on a quarterly cadence, consistent with US-listed public companies.
As a pre-revenue clinical-stage company, quarterly reports focus on cash runway, research and development spending, and pipeline progress rather than traditional revenue or profit metrics. Investors typically watch for clinical trial updates and collaboration milestones as the primary indicators of progress.
For the most recent quarter's results and pipeline updates, visit Lyell Immunopharma's investor relations page directly.
LYEL Price History
-92.6% over 5Y
Monthly close, adjusted for stock splits and dividend reinvestment.
What if I invested in Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.?
Based on Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.'s historical closing prices, adjusted for stock splits and dividend reinvestment. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice.
LYEL Long-term Outlook
The fundamental outlook for LYEL is shaped primarily by clinical execution risk. With Growth and Quality both rated Weak, near-term catalysts depend almost entirely on pipeline readouts rather than business fundamentals. The Risk pillar's relative strength suggests the company has managed its financial position carefully, but the path to value creation remains long and binary in nature. Elevated Valuation relative to the current development stage means the market is pricing in meaningful future success — a scenario that carries substantial uncertainty.
Growth drivers
- Advancement of LYL797 and LYL845 through clinical trials
- Potential milestone payments and expanded collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline
- Broader industry adoption of T cell reprogramming approaches for solid tumors
Key risks
- Clinical trial failure or delays across the pipeline
- Elevated valuation leaves limited margin of safety if data disappoints
- Ongoing cash consumption with no commercial revenue to offset spending
LYEL vs Peers
Lyell operates in a competitive landscape of clinical and early-stage biotech companies, each pursuing differentiated approaches to difficult therapeutic challenges.
Relmada focuses on central nervous system disorders rather than oncology, representing a different therapeutic area with its own distinct clinical and commercial risks.
Absci applies AI-driven protein design to drug discovery, differentiating itself through a platform-as-a-service model rather than direct pipeline ownership.
Tectonic Therapeutic focuses on G protein-coupled receptor biology, targeting a distinct mechanism from Lyell's T cell reprogramming approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Lyell Immunopharma do?
Lyell Immunopharma develops T cell therapies designed to treat solid tumors. The company uses two proprietary platforms — Gen-R and Epi-R — to reprogram T cells genetically and epigenetically, aiming to overcome limitations like T cell exhaustion that have historically reduced the effectiveness of cell therapies in solid tumor settings.
Does LYEL pay dividends?
No, Lyell Immunopharma does not pay a dividend. As a clinical-stage biotech with no commercial revenue, the company reinvests all capital into research and development. Income-focused investors should be aware that a dividend is not expected in the foreseeable future.
When does LYEL report earnings?
Lyell Immunopharma reports on a quarterly cadence, as is standard for US-listed companies. Because it is pre-revenue, reports center on cash position and pipeline updates rather than traditional earnings metrics. Check the company's investor relations page for the most current schedule.
Is LYEL a good stock to buy?
UQS Score rates LYEL as Poor overall, driven by Weak scores across Quality, Moat, and Growth. The Risk pillar is a relative positive, but the overall profile reflects the high uncertainty of clinical-stage biotech investing. Whether it suits a given investor depends on individual risk tolerance and portfolio goals — the full UQS breakdown is available to Pro members.
Is LYEL overvalued?
The UQS Valuation pillar for LYEL is rated Elevated, which is common for pre-revenue biotechs where market pricing reflects speculative pipeline potential. This means investors are paying a premium relative to current fundamentals, with the expectation of future clinical and commercial success that has not yet been demonstrated.
How does LYEL compare to its competitors?
Lyell's closest listed peers — Relmada Therapeutics, Absci Corporation, and Tectonic Therapeutic — each operate in different therapeutic areas or with different platform models. Lyell is distinguished by its focus on T cell reprogramming specifically for solid tumors, a technically challenging area where few companies have achieved commercial success. See the full UQS comparison on each ticker's page.
What is LYEL's market cap bracket?
Lyell Immunopharma is classified as a small-cap company. This places it in a category where liquidity can be lower and price volatility higher than large- or mega-cap peers, which is an important consideration for position sizing and risk management.
Who founded Lyell Immunopharma?
Lyell Immunopharma was incorporated in 2018. Founding context, including key scientific and executive founders, is publicly available through the company's official disclosures and widely covered in biotech industry publications.
Is LYEL a long-term quality investment?
As a long-term quality indicator, the UQS Score rates LYEL as Poor, reflecting weak fundamentals across most pillars at this stage of development. Long-term value creation is possible if clinical programs succeed, but the current quality profile does not yet support the characteristics typically associated with durable, compounding businesses.
What is the main competitive advantage of Lyell Immunopharma?
Lyell's differentiation centers on its Gen-R and Epi-R platforms, which aim to address T cell exhaustion and durability — two of the core biological barriers to effective cell therapy in solid tumors. However, the UQS Moat pillar is rated Weak, indicating that this advantage has not yet translated into a defensible competitive position by current scoring criteria.
What sector does LYEL belong to?
Lyell Immunopharma operates in the Healthcare sector, specifically within clinical-stage biotechnology focused on oncology. The company's work on T cell reprogramming places it in the cell and gene therapy subsegment, one of the more research-intensive and capital-demanding areas of the broader healthcare landscape.
Unlock Full LYEL Analysis
Sign in to unlock the detailed analysis behind the UQS Score.
- ✓View the complete five-pillar UQS Score breakdown
- ✓Access detailed financial metrics and trend data
- ✓Compare LYEL against sector peers side by side
- ✓Track pipeline-stage risk indicators over time
- ✓Get the full analyst-grade quality and valuation view
Pro Analysis
LYEL — Score History
| Date | UQS | Quality | Moat | Growth | Risk | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2026 | 21.1 | 0.0 | 11.0 | 37.5 | 72.7 | 0.0 | -0.3 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | 21.4 | 0.0 | 11.0 | 37.5 | 74.4 | 0.0 | -9.8 |
| Apr 13, 2026 | 31.2 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 37.5 | 74.4 | 0.0 | +9.8 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 21.4 | 0.0 | 11.0 | 37.5 | 74.4 | 0.0 | — |
LYEL — Pillar Breakdown
Quality
— 0.0/100 (25%)Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. currently shows below-average quality metrics, suggesting challenges with profitability.
How effectively capital is deployed to generate returns.
Profitability relative to shareholders' equity.
Ability to convert revenue into operating profit.
Bottom-line profit as a share of revenue.
Free cash flow relative to market value.
Growth
— 37.5/100 (20%)Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. shows steady but unspectacular growth, typical for mature companies.
Revenue trajectory over the last twelve months.
Compound annual revenue growth rate over 3 years.
Year-over-year earnings per share growth.
Analyst consensus for future revenue growth.
Risk
— 72.7/100 (15%)Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. maintains a reasonable risk profile with manageable debt levels.
Debt levels relative to earnings capacity.
Total debt relative to shareholder equity.
Short-term liquidity — ability to pay near-term obligations.
Earnings capacity relative to interest payments.
Valuation
— 0.0/100 (15%)Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. appears expensively valued relative to its fundamentals and growth prospects.
Moat
— 11/100 (25%)Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. operates in a highly competitive environment with limited sustainable advantages. The Moat pillar evaluates competitive advantages across five dimensions: Switching Costs, Network Effects, Cost Advantage, Intangible Assets, and Scale & Ecosystem. Sign in to customize moat ratings for LYEL.
Score Composition
Financial Data
More Stock Analysis
How is the LYEL UQS Score Calculated?
The UQS (Unified Quality Score) for Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. is calculated using a proprietary 6-pillar framework with 29 financial metrics. Each pillar evaluates a different dimension on a 0–100 scale, then combines into a single weighted score. Scoring thresholds are calibrated per sector. Momentum is an optional Pro toggle — without it, you get the 5-pillar / 25-metric core shown below.
Quality (25%) measures profitability and capital efficiency — ROIC, ROE, margins, GP/Assets, and FCF Yield.
Moat (25%) assesses Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.'s competitive advantages across switching costs, network effects, cost advantages, intangible assets, and ecosystem scale.
Growth (20%) tracks revenue trajectory and earnings momentum, combining historical results with analyst forward estimates.
Risk (15%) is inversely scored — lower leverage and strong balance sheet health result in higher scores.
Valuation (15%) measures whether Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. is fairly priced using earnings yield, price-to-FCF, PEG ratio, and EV/EBITDA relative to sector peers.
Six investor-inspired presets are available, each with different pillar weights: Balanced, Buffett, Munger, Lynch, Cathie Wood, and Graham. The public score shown here uses the Balanced preset. Learn more in our FAQ.