Option Care Health (NASDAQ:OPCH) vs. Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) Head to Head Contrast

Option Care Health (NASDAQ:OPCH) and Ardent Health (NYSE:ARDT) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

98.1% of Option Care Health shares are held by institutional investors. 1.7% of Option Care Health shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.9% of Ardent Health shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Option Care Health and Ardent Health’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Option Care Health	3.68%	18.74%	7.25%
Ardent Health	1.22%	10.35%	3.36%

Risk & Volatility

Option Care Health has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its share price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ardent Health has a beta of 0.71, meaning that its share price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Option Care Health and Ardent Health, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Option Care Health	0	7	7	0	2.50
Ardent Health	2	6	7	0	2.33

Option Care Health currently has a consensus price target of $29.92, suggesting a potential upside of 29.71%. Ardent Health has a consensus price target of $12.79, suggesting a potential upside of 21.08%. Given Option Care Health’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Option Care Health is more favorable than Ardent Health.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Option Care Health and Ardent Health”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Option Care Health	$5.69 billion	0.61	$207.59 million	$1.33	17.35
Ardent Health	$6.32 billion	0.24	$135.81 million	$0.55	19.21

Option Care Health has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Ardent Health. Option Care Health is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ardent Health, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Option Care Health beats Ardent Health on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Option Care Health

Option Care Health, Inc. offers home and alternate site infusion services in the United States. The company provides anti-infective therapies; home infusion services to treat heart failures; home parenteral nutrition and enteral nutrition support services for numerous acute and chronic conditions, such as stroke, cancer, and gastrointestinal diseases; immunoglobulin infusion therapies for the treatment of immune deficiencies; and treatments for chronic inflammatory disorders, including crohn’s disease, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and other chronic inflammatory disorders. It also offers treatments to manage the progression of neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, duchenne muscular dystrophy, and other neurological disorder; infusion therapies for bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia and von Willebrand diseases; therapies for women with high-risk pregnancies; and other infusion therapies to treat various conditions, including pain management, chemotherapy, and respiratory medications, as well as nursing services. The company markets its services through patient referrals, including physicians, hospital discharge planners, hospital personnel, health maintenance organizations, and preferred provider organizations. Option Care Health, Inc. is headquartered in Bannockburn, Illinois.

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.