Head to Head Analysis: Auna (NYSE:AUNA) vs. SeaStar Medical (NASDAQ:ICU)

SeaStar Medical (NASDAQ:ICU) and Auna (NYSE:AUNA) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, risk and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares SeaStar Medical and Auna’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
SeaStar Medical	-984.60%	-188.47%	-106.42%
Auna	2.13%	19.23%	4.70%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for SeaStar Medical and Auna, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
SeaStar Medical	1	0	0	0	1.00
Auna	1	2	1	1	2.40

SeaStar Medical currently has a consensus target price of $6.00, suggesting a potential upside of 39.21%. Auna has a consensus target price of $7.30, suggesting a potential upside of 28.93%. Given SeaStar Medical’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe SeaStar Medical is more favorable than Auna.

Volatility and Risk

SeaStar Medical has a beta of -1.21, indicating that its share price is 221% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Auna has a beta of 1.63, indicating that its share price is 63% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

1.7% of SeaStar Medical shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of SeaStar Medical 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.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares SeaStar Medical and Auna”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
SeaStar Medical	$1.23 million	13.98	-$12.15 million	($8.30)	-0.52
Auna	$1.23 billion	0.34	$27.39 million	$0.36	15.73

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

Summary

Auna beats SeaStar Medical on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About SeaStar Medical

SeaStar Medical Holding Corporation, a medical device company, develops a platform therapy to reduce the consequences of hyperinflammation on vital organs in the United States. The company offers inflammatory response to fend off infections and repair damaged tissue in the body. It is also developing products in various therapeutic areas, including pediatric and adult acute kidney injury on CRRT; cardiorenal syndrome in congestive heart failure; myocardial stunning in end stage renal disease; and hepatorenal syndrome. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

About Auna

Auna S.A., a healthcare service provider, operates hospitals and clinics in Mexico, Peru, and Colombia. The company provides prepaid healthcare plans in Peru; and dental and vision plans in Mexico. The company was founded in 1989 and is based in Luxembourg, Luxembourg.