Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT – Get Free Report) and GeneDx (NASDAQ:WGS – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.
Profitability
This table compares Ardent Health and GeneDx’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Ardent Health | 2.09% | 13.85% | 4.48% |
| GeneDx | -17.58% | 9.15% | 5.21% |
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Ardent Health and GeneDx”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Ardent Health | $6.43 billion | 0.21 | $135.81 million | $0.95 | 9.69 |
| GeneDx | $427.54 million | 3.61 | -$21.02 million | ($2.68) | -19.40 |
Ardent Health has higher revenue and earnings than GeneDx. GeneDx is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ardent Health, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
61.7% of GeneDx shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Ardent Health shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 29.6% of GeneDx shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Ardent Health and GeneDx, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Ardent Health | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2.36 |
| GeneDx | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2.63 |
Ardent Health currently has a consensus price target of $14.21, indicating a potential upside of 54.29%. GeneDx has a consensus price target of $96.43, indicating a potential upside of 85.48%. Given GeneDx’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe GeneDx is more favorable than Ardent Health.
Volatility and Risk
Ardent Health has a beta of 0.93, indicating that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, GeneDx has a beta of 2.06, indicating that its share price is 106% more volatile than the S&P 500.
About Ardent Health
Ardent Health Partners, Inc. owns and operates a network of hospitals and clinics that provides a range of healthcare services in the United States. It operates acute care hospitals, including rehabilitation hospitals and surgical hospitals. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Ardent Health Partners, Inc. is a subsidiary of EGI-AM Investments, L.L.C.
About GeneDx
GeneDx Holdings Corp., through its subsidiaries, provides genomics-related diagnostic and information services. The company offers Centrellis, an AI-driven health intelligence platform that integrates digital tools and artificial intelligence allowing scientists to ingest and synthesize clinical and genomic data to deliver comprehensive health insights. It provides genetic diagnostic tests, screening solutions, and information with a focus on pediatrics, rare diseases for children and adults, and hereditary cancer screening. GeneDx Holdings Corp. was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
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