Head-To-Head Contrast: Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) & Stevanato Group (NYSE:STVN)

Stevanato Group (NYSE:STVN) and Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) are both healthcare companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Volatility & Risk

Stevanato Group has a beta of 0.8, meaning that its stock price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Icon has a beta of 1.19, meaning that its stock price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Stevanato Group and Icon’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Stevanato Group	11.24%	10.51%	6.22%
Icon	5.45%	7.73%	4.39%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

95.6% of Icon shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Stevanato Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 44.0% of Icon shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Stevanato Group and Icon”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Stevanato Group	$1.25 billion	3.48	$158.21 million	€0.58	24.70
Icon	$8.23 billion	1.86	$229.34 million	$5.81	34.48

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Stevanato Group and Icon, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Stevanato Group	0	5	2	2	2.67
Icon	1	9	9	1	2.50

Icon has a consensus price target of $213.76, suggesting a potential upside of 6.72%. Given Icon’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Icon is more favorable than Stevanato Group.

Summary

Icon beats Stevanato Group on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Stevanato Group

Stevanato Group is an Italian provider of drug-containment and drug-delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic industries. Founded in 1949 by Giovanni Stevanato, the company began as a glassmaking business and has expanded into a global supplier of products and services for the life sciences sector. The company makes primary packaging for injectable medicines, including glass vials, cartridges, syringes and ampoules. Its offerings also include ready-to-use containers, as well as services such as product development, analytical testing and packaging support.

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.