Head to Head Survey: Astrana Health (NASDAQ:ASTH) versus Lightbridge (NASDAQ:LTBR)

Astrana Health (NASDAQ:ASTH) and Lightbridge (NASDAQ:LTBR) are both medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, profitability, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

52.8% of Astrana Health shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 9.1% of Lightbridge shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.5% of Astrana Health shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 7.0% of Lightbridge shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Astrana Health and Lightbridge’s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Astrana Health	$1.39 billion	1.64	$60.72 million	$1.32	31.15
Lightbridge	N/A	N/A	-$7.91 million	($0.64)	-4.70

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

Profitability

This table compares Astrana Health and Lightbridge’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Astrana Health	4.49%	11.52%	6.67%
Lightbridge	N/A	-27.51%	-26.92%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Astrana Health and Lightbridge, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Astrana Health	0	1	1	0	2.50
Lightbridge	0	0	0	0	N/A

Astrana Health currently has a consensus price target of $47.00, indicating a potential upside of 14.30%. Given Astrana Health’s higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Astrana Health is more favorable than Lightbridge.

Volatility and Risk

Astrana Health has a beta of 1.1, meaning that its share price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lightbridge has a beta of 2.55, meaning that its share price is 155% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Astrana Health beats Lightbridge on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Astrana Health

Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc. engages in the provision of healthcare services. It offers integrated care, inpatient and physician alignment solutions. The company focuses on physicians providing high-quality medical care, population health management and care coordination for patients, particularly senior patients and patients with multiple chronic conditions. Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Glendale, CA.

About Lightbridge

Lightbridge Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops nuclear fuel technology. It focuses on developing and commercializing metallic nuclear fuels that could enhance resistance of nuclear fuel in existing and new nuclear reactors with a meaningful impact on addressing climate change and air pollution. The company was formerly known as Thorium Power, Ltd. and changed its name to Lightbridge Corporation in September 2009. Lightbridge Corporation is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.