Head-To-Head Review: Lifecore Biomedical (NASDAQ:LFCR) & Bausch Health Cos (NYSE:BHC)

Bausch Health Cos (NYSE:BHC) and Lifecore Biomedical (NASDAQ:LFCR) are both healthcare companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, valuation and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Bausch Health Cos and Lifecore Biomedical”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bausch Health Cos	$11.11 billion	0.29	$157.00 million	($2.29)	-3.74
Lifecore Biomedical	$128.87 million	1.88	-$40.50 million	($1.07)	-6.00

Bausch Health Cos has higher revenue and earnings than Lifecore Biomedical. Lifecore Biomedical is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bausch Health Cos, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Bausch Health Cos and Lifecore Biomedical, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bausch Health Cos	1	5	0	1	2.14
Lifecore Biomedical	1	4	0	0	1.80

Bausch Health Cos presently has a consensus target price of $8.25, suggesting a potential downside of 3.76%. Lifecore Biomedical has a consensus target price of $6.50, suggesting a potential upside of 1.33%. Given Lifecore Biomedical’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Lifecore Biomedical is more favorable than Bausch Health Cos.

Volatility and Risk

Bausch Health Cos has a beta of 0.37, suggesting that its share price is 63% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lifecore Biomedical has a beta of 0.98, suggesting that its share price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

78.7% of Bausch Health Cos shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.4% of Lifecore Biomedical shares are held by institutional investors. 20.7% of Bausch Health Cos shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 32.7% of Lifecore Biomedical shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Bausch Health Cos and Lifecore Biomedical’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bausch Health Cos	-7.57%	-369.48%	7.36%
Lifecore Biomedical	-29.93%	N/A	-16.16%

About Bausch Health Cos

Bausch Health Companies Inc. operates as a diversified specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company in the United States and internationally. It develops, manufactures, and markets a range of products primarily in gastroenterology, hepatology, neurology, dermatology, international pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter (OTC) products, aesthetic medical devices, and eye health. The company operates through five segments: Salix, International, Solta Medical, Diversified, and Bausch + Lomb. The Salix segment provides gastroenterology products in the United States. The International segment sells aesthetic medical devices, branded pharmaceuticals, generic pharmaceuticals, and OTC products internationally. The Solta Medical segment engages in the sale of aesthetic medical devices. The Diversified segment offers pharmaceutical products in the areas of neurology and certain other therapeutic classes; generic products; ortho dermatologic; and dentistry products in the United States. The Bausch + Lomb segment offers products in the areas of vision care, surgical, and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals products. The company was formerly known as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. and changed its name to Bausch Health Companies Inc. in July 2018. Bausch Health Companies Inc. is headquartered in Laval, Canada.

About Lifecore Biomedical

Lifecore Biomedical, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated contract development and manufacturing organization in the United States and internationally. The company engages in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical-grade sodium hyaluronate (HA) in bulk form, as well as formulated and filled syringes and vials for injectable products used in treating a range of medical conditions and procedures. It also provides services, such as technology development, material component changes, analytical method development, formulation development, pilot studies, stability studies, process validation, and production of materials for clinical studies to its partners for HA-based and non-HA based aseptically formulated and filled products. The company was formerly known as Landec Corporation and changed its name to Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. in November 2022. Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Chaska, Minnesota.