Dividend Power Score
A single, comprehensive score designed to measure the true strength of a company’s dividend.
This score combines three essential pillars of dividend quality:
Consistency – Measures how reliable the dividend has been over time, focusing on payment history, stability, and the absence of cuts or suspensions.
Payability – Assesses the company’s financial ability to sustain its dividend, taking into account cash flow, earnings coverage, balance sheet strength, and overall financial health.
Growth – Evaluates the long-term growth of both the dividend and the company’s share price, highlighting businesses that consistently increase payouts while creating shareholder value.
Higher scores identify companies that have historically delivered dependable income alongside sustained dividend growth and long-term capital appreciation.
Company Overview
Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapies for fibrotic diseases and related conditions with high unmet medical need. The company operates within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical research industry and does not currently market approved products, generating no commercial product revenue. Its core strategy centers on targeting specific integrin receptors that play a central role in fibrosis biology.
The company’s primary value driver has been its pipeline of small‑molecule integrin inhibitors, most notably bexotegrast (PLN‑74809), an oral dual inhibitor of integrins αvβ6 and αvβ1. Pliant’s scientific approach is based on selectively modulating disease‑causing pathways while minimizing systemic toxicity, which the company positions as a differentiating advantage versus broader antifibrotic mechanisms. Pliant Therapeutics was founded in 2015 and became a publicly traded company in 2020, evolving from a discovery‑focused organization into a late clinical‑stage developer.
Business Operations
Pliant Therapeutics operates as a single reportable operating segment, consistent with its status as a development‑stage biotechnology company. Its activities are primarily focused on research and development, including drug discovery, preclinical studies, and clinical trials. The company does not have manufacturing or commercial sales operations and relies on third‑party vendors for clinical trial execution and drug substance manufacturing.
The company’s pipeline has centered on bexotegrast (PLN‑74809), which advanced into Phase 2 clinical studies for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). In addition, Pliant has disclosed earlier‑stage integrin‑targeted programs for other fibrotic and oncology indications, though detailed asset‑level disclosures beyond lead programs are limited in public filings. The company conducts clinical trials in the United States and internationally and does not report material subsidiaries or joint ventures. Data inconclusive based on available public sources regarding any active revenue‑generating partnerships.
Strategic Position & Investments
Pliant’s strategic direction has focused on capital‑efficient advancement of differentiated integrin inhibitors while prioritizing indications with clear biological rationale and unmet need. The company has invested heavily in clinical development infrastructure and biomarker‑driven trial design to validate its platform. Public disclosures indicate strategic reassessment of certain late‑stage programs based on evolving clinical data, reflecting a disciplined portfolio management approach.
The company has not announced major transformative acquisitions and instead emphasizes internal R&D investment. Its intellectual property portfolio around integrin biology and oral small‑molecule inhibitors is a core strategic asset. Pliant has also indicated interest in expanding its platform into adjacent fibrotic or immune‑mediated diseases, though specific new clinical candidates or external investments beyond disclosed pipeline assets cannot be conclusively verified from public sources.
Geographic Footprint
Pliant Therapeutics is headquartered in South San Francisco, California, within the United States, a major global biotechnology hub. Its executive leadership, research oversight, and corporate functions are primarily based at this location.
Operationally, the company maintains a global clinical footprint, conducting clinical trials across North America, Europe, and other select international regions through contract research organizations. While Pliant does not operate foreign commercial offices, its development programs give it an international presence through investigator sites and regulatory engagement outside the U.S. Data inconclusive based on available public sources regarding permanent operational facilities outside the United States.
Leadership & Governance
Pliant Therapeutics was founded with strong academic roots in fibrosis research, and its leadership emphasizes science‑driven decision‑making, disciplined capital allocation, and data‑based portfolio management. The company is governed by a board of directors with experience across biotechnology, clinical development, and public company governance.
Key members of the leadership team include:
- Bernard Coulie – President and Chief Executive Officer
- Keith Bowman – Chief Financial Officer
- Dean Sheppard – Scientific Founder
Leadership communications emphasize advancing innovative therapies while maintaining rigorous clinical and regulatory standards. Data inconclusive based on available public sources regarding additional executive appointments beyond those disclosed in recent SEC filings.