Comparing Co-Diagnostics (NASDAQ:CODX) & United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR)

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) and Co-Diagnostics (NASDAQ:CODX) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends and earnings.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares United Therapeutics and Co-Diagnostics”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
United Therapeutics	$3.18 billion	7.11	$1.33 billion	$27.09	19.67
Co-Diagnostics	$620,000.00	8.45	-$46.90 million	($15.77)	-0.09

United Therapeutics has higher revenue and earnings than Co-Diagnostics. Co-Diagnostics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than United Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

United Therapeutics has a beta of 0.59, indicating that its stock price is 41% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Co-Diagnostics has a beta of 2.87, indicating that its stock price is 187% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares United Therapeutics and Co-Diagnostics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
United Therapeutics	41.56%	20.18%	17.98%
Co-Diagnostics	-6,760.63%	-164.92%	-141.15%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

94.1% of United Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 15.0% of Co-Diagnostics shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.6% of United Therapeutics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.3% of Co-Diagnostics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for United Therapeutics and Co-Diagnostics, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
United Therapeutics	0	2	11	0	2.85
Co-Diagnostics	1	2	1	0	2.00

United Therapeutics presently has a consensus target price of $646.00, indicating a potential upside of 21.21%. Co-Diagnostics has a consensus target price of $67.50, indicating a potential upside of 4,653.52%. Given Co-Diagnostics’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Co-Diagnostics is more favorable than United Therapeutics.

Summary

United Therapeutics beats Co-Diagnostics on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients. It also markets and sells Unituxin (dinutuximab) injection, a monoclonal antibody for treating high-risk neuroblastoma; and Remunity Pump, which contains a pump and separate controller for Remodulin. In addition, the company engages in developing RemoPro and Ralinepag for the treatment of PAH; Aurora-GT, a gene therapy product to rebuild the blood vessels in the lungs; and Nebulized Tyvaso, for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, as well as xenografts, which are development-stage organ products. It has licensing and collaboration agreements with DEKA Research & Development Corp. to develop a semi-disposable system for the subcutaneous delivery of treprostinil; MannKind Corporation to develop and license treprostinil inhalation powder and the Dreamboat device; and Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop Ralinepag. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

About Co-Diagnostics

Co-Diagnostics, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company, develops, manufactures, and sells reagents used for diagnostic tests that function through the detection and/or analysis of nucleic acid molecules in the United States and internationally. The company offers Co-Dx PCR platform, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to patients in point-of-care and at-home setting. It also provides PCR diagnostic tests for COVID-19, influenza, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, human papillomavirus, malaria, chikungunya, dengue, and the zika virus. In addition, the company offers three multiplexed tests to test mosquitos for the identification of diseases carried by the mosquitos; molecular tools for detection of infectious diseases, liquid biopsy for cancer screening, and agricultural applications; tests that identify genetic traits in plant and animal genomes; and portable diagnostic device designed to bring PCR to patients in point-of-care and at-home settings. The company was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.