Head-To-Head Survey: HealthEquity (NASDAQ:HQY) & Auna (NYSE:AUNA)

Auna (NYSE:AUNA) and HealthEquity (NASDAQ:HQY) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, valuation and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Auna and HealthEquity’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Auna	5.49%	15.14%	3.60%
HealthEquity	11.49%	12.04%	7.44%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

99.6% of HealthEquity shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of HealthEquity shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Auna and HealthEquity”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Auna	$1.17 billion	0.34	$29.39 million	$0.88	6.15
HealthEquity	$1.27 billion	6.36	$96.70 million	$1.65	56.79

HealthEquity has higher revenue and earnings than Auna. Auna is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than HealthEquity, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Auna and HealthEquity, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Auna	1	3	1	0	2.00
HealthEquity	0	2	11	1	2.93

Auna presently has a consensus target price of $10.70, suggesting a potential upside of 97.60%. HealthEquity has a consensus target price of $121.31, suggesting a potential upside of 29.45%. Given Auna’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Auna is more favorable than HealthEquity.

Risk and Volatility

Auna has a beta of 2.24, suggesting that its stock price is 124% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, HealthEquity has a beta of 0.47, suggesting that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

HealthEquity beats Auna on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Auna

Auna S.A., a healthcare service provider, operates hospitals and clinics in Mexico, Peru, and Colombia. The company provides prepaid healthcare plans in Peru; and dental and vision plans in Mexico. The company was founded in 1989 and is based in Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

About HealthEquity

HealthEquity, Inc. provides technology-enabled services platforms to consumers and employers in the United States. The company offers cloud-based platforms for individuals to make health saving and spending decisions, pay healthcare bills, receive personalized benefit information, earn wellness incentives, grow their savings, and make investment choices; and health savings accounts. It also provides investment platform; and online-only automated investment advisory services through Advisor, a Web-based tool. In addition, the company offers flexible spending accounts; health reimbursement arrangements; and Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act continuation services, as well as administers pre-tax commuter benefit programs. It serves clients through a direct sales force; benefits brokers and advisors; and a network of health plans, benefits administrators, benefits brokers and consultants, and retirement plan record-keepers. HealthEquity, Inc. was incorporated in 2002 and is based in Draper, Utah.