Critical Review: Concentra Group Holdings Parent (NYSE:CON) versus Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT)

Concentra Group Holdings Parent (NYSE:CON) and Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) are both medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, valuation and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Concentra Group Holdings Parent and Ardent Health’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Concentra Group Holdings Parent	7.69%	48.46%	6.24%
Ardent Health	2.15%	14.46%	4.64%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Concentra Group Holdings Parent and Ardent Health, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Concentra Group Holdings Parent	0	2	3	0	2.60
Ardent Health	2	4	6	0	2.33

Concentra Group Holdings Parent presently has a consensus price target of $30.00, indicating a potential upside of 27.82%. Ardent Health has a consensus price target of $14.58, indicating a potential upside of 54.48%. Given Ardent Health’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Ardent Health is more favorable than Concentra Group Holdings Parent.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Concentra Group Holdings Parent and Ardent Health”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Concentra Group Holdings Parent	$2.16 billion	1.40	$166.41 million	$1.30	18.05
Ardent Health	$6.32 billion	0.21	$210.34 million	$1.45	6.51

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

Volatility and Risk

Concentra Group Holdings Parent has a beta of 0.6, meaning that its share price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ardent Health has a beta of 0.46, meaning that its share price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Concentra Group Holdings Parent beats Ardent Health on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Concentra Group Holdings Parent

Concentra Group Holdings Parent, Inc. provides occupational health services in the United States. The company offers occupational and consumer health services, including workers’ compensation injury care, urgent care, clinical testing, preventative care, and employer services, as well as wellness programs through occupational health centers and onsite clinics. It also provides Concentra Telemed, a telemedicine solution for the treatment of work-related injuries and illnesses, and employer services; pharmacy solution under the Concentra Pharmacy name; and Concentra Medical Compliance Administration, a third-party administrator that helps to manage abuse testing programs for employers with regulated or non-regulated workforces. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Concentra Group Holdings Parent, Inc. is a subsidiary of Select Medical Corporation.

About Ardent Health

Ardent Health Partners, Inc. owns and operates a network of hospitals and clinics that provides a range of healthcare services in the United States. It operates acute care hospitals, including rehabilitation hospitals and surgical hospitals. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Ardent Health Partners, Inc. is a subsidiary of EGI-AM Investments, L.L.C.