Head to Head Comparison: GeneDx (NASDAQ:WGS) & Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT)

GeneDx (NASDAQ:WGS) and Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and profitability.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares GeneDx and Ardent Health”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
GeneDx	$427.54 million	3.29	-$21.02 million	($2.68)	-17.65
Ardent Health	$6.43 billion	0.20	$135.81 million	$0.95	9.65

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.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for GeneDx and Ardent Health, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
GeneDx	1	1	6	0	2.63
Ardent Health	2	5	7	0	2.36

GeneDx presently has a consensus price target of $96.43, suggesting a potential upside of 103.82%. Ardent Health has a consensus price target of $14.21, suggesting a potential upside of 54.96%. Given GeneDx’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe GeneDx is more favorable than Ardent Health.

Profitability

This table compares GeneDx and Ardent Health’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
GeneDx	-17.58%	9.15%	5.21%
Ardent Health	2.09%	13.85%	4.48%

Risk & Volatility

GeneDx has a beta of 2.06, meaning that its share price is 106% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ardent Health has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

61.7% of GeneDx shares are held by institutional investors. 29.6% of GeneDx shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.9% of Ardent Health shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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.

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.