Head-To-Head Comparison: HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) versus PodcastOne (NASDAQ:PODC)

HealthStream (NASDAQ:HSTM) and PodcastOne (NASDAQ:PODC) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation and dividends.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

69.6% of HealthStream shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.9% of PodcastOne shares are owned by institutional investors. 20.6% of HealthStream shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares HealthStream and PodcastOne’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
HealthStream	6.30%	5.21%	3.56%
PodcastOne	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for HealthStream and PodcastOne, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
HealthStream	0	1	2	0	2.67
PodcastOne	0	0	2	0	3.00

HealthStream presently has a consensus target price of $32.00, suggesting a potential upside of 23.46%. PodcastOne has a consensus target price of $4.50, suggesting a potential upside of 131.96%. Given PodcastOne’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe PodcastOne is more favorable than HealthStream.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares HealthStream and PodcastOne’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
HealthStream	$279.06 million	2.82	$15.21 million	$0.58	44.69
PodcastOne	$34.02 million	1.32	N/A	N/A	N/A

HealthStream has higher revenue and earnings than PodcastOne.

Summary

HealthStream beats PodcastOne on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About HealthStream

HealthStream, Inc. provides Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) based applications for healthcare organizations in the United States. The company's solutions help healthcare organizations in meeting their ongoing clinical development, talent management, training, education, assessment, competency management, safety and compliance, and scheduling, as well as provider credentialing, privileging, and enrollment needs. It offers hStream, a technology platform that powers a range of healthcare workforce solutions. The company provides its solutions to customers across a range of entities within the healthcare industry, including private, not-for-profit, and government entities, as well as pharmaceutical and medical device companies through its direct sales teams. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

About PodcastOne

PodcastOne, Inc. operates as a podcast platform and publisher. The company offers its content to audiences through podcasting distribution platforms, including its website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and others. It also produces vodcasts, branded podcasts, merchandise, and live events. In addition, the company builds, owns, and operates LaunchPadOne, a self-publishing podcast platform. The company was formerly known as Courtside Group, Inc. and changed its name to PodcastOne, Inc. in September 2023. PodcastOne, Inc. was founded in 2013 and is based in Beverly Hills, California. PodcastOne, Inc. is a subsidiary of LiveOne, Inc.