Head to Head Review: Waters (NYSE:WAT) & Lucid Diagnostics (NASDAQ:LUCD)

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Lucid Diagnostics and Waters, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lucid Diagnostics	1	0	4	0	2.60
Waters	0	10	9	2	2.62

Lucid Diagnostics currently has a consensus price target of $3.94, indicating a potential upside of 230.88%. Waters has a consensus price target of $395.00, indicating a potential downside of 1.08%. Given Lucid Diagnostics’ higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Lucid Diagnostics is more favorable than Waters.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Lucid Diagnostics and Waters”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lucid Diagnostics	$4.40 million	37.25	-$45.53 million	($1.04)	-1.14
Waters	$2.96 billion	8.04	$637.83 million	$10.88	36.70

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

Risk and Volatility

Lucid Diagnostics has a beta of 1.22, meaning that its share price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Waters has a beta of 1.16, meaning that its share price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

74.0% of Lucid Diagnostics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.0% of Waters shares are held by institutional investors. 6.8% of Lucid Diagnostics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.8% of Waters shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Lucid Diagnostics and Waters’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lucid Diagnostics	-1,418.39%	N/A	-96.99%
Waters	20.89%	36.59%	16.18%

Summary

Waters beats Lucid Diagnostics on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lucid Diagnostics

Lucid Diagnostics Inc. operates as a commercial-stage medical diagnostics technology company in the United States. The company focuses on patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who are at risk of developing esophageal precancer and cancer, primarily highly lethal esophageal adenocarcinoma. Its flagship product, the EsoGuard Esophageal DNA Test performed on samples collected with the EsoCheck Esophageal Cell collection device, a testing tool with the goal of preventing EAC deaths through early detection of esophageal precancer in at-risk GERD patients. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is based in New York, New York. Lucid Diagnostics Inc. is a subsidiary of PAVmed Inc.

About Waters

Waters Corporation provides analytical workflow solutions in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through two segments: Waters and TA. The company designs, manufactures, sells, and services high and ultra-performance liquid chromatography, as well as mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products, and post-warranty service plans. It also designs, manufactures, sells, and services thermal analysis, rheometry, and calorimetry instruments; and develops and supplies software-based products that interface with its instruments, as well as other manufacturers' instruments. In addition, the company offers MS technology instruments are used in drug discovery and development comprising clinical trial testing, the analysis of proteins in disease processes, nutritional safety analysis, and environmental testing. Further, the company provides thermal analysis, rheometry, and calorimetry instruments for use in predicting the suitability and stability of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, water, polymers, metals, and viscous liquids for various industrial, consumer good, and healthcare products, as well as for life science research. Its products are used by clinical, pharmaceutical, biochemical, industrial, nutritional safety, environmental, academic, and governmental customers working in research and development, quality assurance, and other laboratory applications. The company was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts.