Financial Contrast: Standard BioTools (NASDAQ:LAB) and Danaher (NYSE:DHR)

Danaher (NYSE:DHR) and Standard BioTools (NASDAQ:LAB) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation and risk.

Risk and Volatility

Danaher has a beta of 0.78, indicating that its share price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Standard BioTools has a beta of 1.4, indicating that its share price is 40% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Danaher and Standard BioTools’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Danaher	15.95%	11.04%	6.81%
Standard BioTools	100.36%	-7.57%	-6.14%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Danaher and Standard BioTools, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Danaher	0	5	19	1	2.84
Standard BioTools	1	2	0	0	1.67

Danaher currently has a consensus target price of $228.91, indicating a potential upside of 5.91%. Standard BioTools has a consensus target price of $1.35, indicating a potential upside of 108.88%. Given Standard BioTools’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Standard BioTools is more favorable than Danaher.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Danaher and Standard BioTools”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Danaher	$24.57 billion	6.18	$3.61 billion	$5.63	38.39
Standard BioTools	$85.33 million	2.97	-$74.90 million	$0.22	2.94

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

79.0% of Danaher shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 53.7% of Standard BioTools shares are held by institutional investors. 10.8% of Danaher shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 26.8% of Standard BioTools shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Danaher beats Standard BioTools on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Danaher

Danaher Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services worldwide. The Biotechnology segments offers bioprocess technologies, consumables, and services that advance, accelerate, and integrate the development and manufacture of therapeutics; cell line and cell culture media development services; cell culture media, process liquids and buffers for manufacturing, chromatography resins, filtration technologies, aseptic fill finish; single-use hardware and consumables and services, such as the design and installation of full manufacturing suites; lab filtration, separation, and purification; lab-scale protein purification and analytical tools; reagents, membranes, and services; and healthcare filtration solutions. The Life Sciences segment provides mass spectrometers; flow cytometry, genomics, lab automation, centrifugation, liquid handling automation instruments, antibodies and reagents, and particle counting and characterization; microscopes; protein consumables; industrial filtration products; and genomic medicines, such as custom nucleic acid products, plasmid DNA, RNA, and proteins under the ABCAM, ALDEVRON, BECKMAN COULTER, IDT, LEICA MICROSYSTEMS, MOLECULAR DEVICES, PALL, PHENOMENEX and SCIEX brands. The Diagnostics segment offers chemistry, immunoassay, microbiology, and automation systems; and molecular, acute care, and pathology diagnostics products. This segment also provides clinical instruments, reagents, consumables, software, and services for hospitals, physicians' offices, reference laboratories, and other critical care settings. The company was formerly known as Diversified Mortgage Investors, Inc. and changed its name to Danaher Corporation in 1984. Danaher Corporation was founded in 1969 and is based in Washington, the District of Columbia.

About Standard BioTools

Standard BioTools Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides instruments, consumables, reagents, and software services for researchers and clinical laboratories in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia pacific. It operates through two segments: Proteomics and Genomics. The company offers analytical systems, such as CyTOF XT System, a CyTOF XT mass cytometry system performs automated high-parameter single-cell analysis using antibodies conjugated to metal isotopes; and Hyperion XTi imaging system, a spatial biology instrument. It also provides genomics, such as X9 Real-Time PCR System, a real-time PCR analytical instrument including pre-processing steps for microfluidics-based workflows using (integrated fluidic circuit) IFCs; and IFC Controllers, a controller which is designed to work with IFC formats. In addition, the company offers analytical instruments comprising Biomark HD system, a real-time PCR analytical instrument for microfluidics-based workflows using prepared IFCs. It sells its products to academic research institutions; translational research and medicine centers; cancer centers; clinical research laboratories; biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and plant and animal research companies; and contract research organizations. It has license agreements with California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. The company was formerly known as Fluidigm Corporation and changed its name to Standard BioTools Inc. in April 2022. Fluidigm Corporation was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.