Contrasting Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) and Rapid Micro Biosystems (NASDAQ:RPID)

Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) and Rapid Micro Biosystems (NASDAQ:RPID) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Icon and Rapid Micro Biosystems’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Icon	5.45%	7.73%	4.39%
Rapid Micro Biosystems	-145.56%	-177.04%	-73.12%

Volatility & Risk

Icon has a beta of 1.19, indicating that its share price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Rapid Micro Biosystems has a beta of 1.52, indicating that its share price is 52% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

95.6% of Icon shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.6% of Rapid Micro Biosystems shares are owned by institutional investors. 44.0% of Icon shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 12.7% of Rapid Micro Biosystems shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Icon and Rapid Micro Biosystems”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Icon	$8.25 billion	1.81	$229.34 million	$5.81	33.50
Rapid Micro Biosystems	$33.59 million	0.97	-$47.12 million	($1.12)	-0.58

Icon has higher revenue and earnings than Rapid Micro Biosystems. Rapid Micro Biosystems is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Icon, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Icon and Rapid Micro Biosystems, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Icon	1	9	9	1	2.50
Rapid Micro Biosystems	1	0	2	1	2.75

Icon currently has a consensus price target of $213.76, indicating a potential upside of 9.82%. Rapid Micro Biosystems has a consensus price target of $5.00, indicating a potential upside of 668.05%. Given Rapid Micro Biosystems’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Rapid Micro Biosystems is more favorable than Icon.

Summary

Icon beats Rapid Micro Biosystems on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Icon

ICON plc is a global contract research organization (CRO) that provides outsourced development services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and government organizations. Its work supports the development of medicines and other healthcare products from early research through clinical trials and regulatory submission. The company’s services include clinical trial design and management, data management and biostatistics, regulatory support, laboratory services, medical imaging and patient recruitment.

About Rapid Micro Biosystems

Rapid Micro Biosystems, Inc. develops automated solutions for microbial quality control in regulated manufacturing environments. Its systems are designed to detect and quantify microorganisms more efficiently than traditional manual methods, helping customers improve testing workflows, data integrity, and laboratory productivity. The company’s primary platform, Growth Direct, supports applications including environmental monitoring and rapid microbial testing. The platform combines automated incubation, imaging, detection, and reporting with dedicated consumables, enabling pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and other manufacturers to monitor contamination risks and evaluate product sterility.