Contrasting Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) and SeaStar Medical (NASDAQ:ICU)

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) and SeaStar Medical (NASDAQ:ICU) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, earnings and risk.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Avantor	-1.25%	10.91%	5.34%
SeaStar Medical	-1,915.27%	N/A	-232.65%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Avantor and SeaStar Medical”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Avantor	$6.78 billion	1.16	$711.50 million	($0.13)	-88.46
SeaStar Medical	$140,000.00	119.35	-$24.83 million	($2.62)	-0.19

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

Volatility and Risk

Avantor has a beta of 1, meaning that its stock price has a similar volatility profile to the S&P 500.Comparatively, SeaStar Medical has a beta of -1.06, meaning that its stock price is 206% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

95.1% of Avantor shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 1.7% of SeaStar Medical shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of Avantor shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.3% of SeaStar Medical shares are held 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.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Avantor and SeaStar Medical, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Avantor	0	11	4	0	2.27
SeaStar Medical	1	0	0	0	1.00

Avantor currently has a consensus price target of $14.42, suggesting a potential upside of 25.42%. Given Avantor’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Avantor is more favorable than SeaStar Medical.

Summary

Avantor beats SeaStar Medical on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Avantor

Avantor, Inc. engages in the provision of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education and government, advanced technologies, and applied materials industries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers materials and consumables, such as purity chemicals and reagents, lab products and supplies, formulated silicone materials, customized excipients, customized single-use assemblies, process chromatography resins and columns, analytical sample prep kits, education and microbiology products, clinical trial kits, peristaltic pumps, and fluid handling tips. It also provides equipment and instrumentation products, including filtration systems, virus inactivation systems, incubators, analytical instruments, evaporators, ultra-low-temperature freezers, biological safety cabinets, and critical environment supplies. In addition, the company offers services and specialty procurements comprising onsite lab and production, clinical, equipment, procurement and sourcing, and biopharmaceutical material scale-up and development services. Further, it provides scientific research support services, such as DNA extraction, bioreactor servicing, clinical and biorepository, and compound management services. The company was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania.

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.