Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS – Get Free Report) and Co-Diagnostics (NASDAQ:CODX – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, profitability, earnings, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.
Profitability
This table compares Cerus and Co-Diagnostics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Cerus | -23.98% | -67.17% | -17.68% |
| Co-Diagnostics | -518.69% | -35.37% | -32.58% |
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Cerus and Co-Diagnostics, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Cerus | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.67 |
| Co-Diagnostics | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
78.4% of Cerus shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 15.0% of Co-Diagnostics shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.1% of Cerus shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.4% of Co-Diagnostics shares are owned 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.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Cerus and Co-Diagnostics’ gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Cerus | $156.37 million | 1.98 | -$37.49 million | ($0.21) | -8.14 |
| Co-Diagnostics | $6.81 million | 5.10 | -$35.33 million | ($1.21) | -0.92 |
Co-Diagnostics has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Cerus. Cerus is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Co-Diagnostics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk & Volatility
Cerus has a beta of 1.29, suggesting that its share price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Co-Diagnostics has a beta of -0.68, suggesting that its share price is 168% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Cerus beats Co-Diagnostics on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Cerus
Cerus Corporation operates as a biomedical products company. The company focuses on developing and commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System to enhance blood safety. Its INTERCEPT Blood System, a proprietary technology for controlling biological replication that is designed to reduce blood-borne pathogens in donated blood components intended for transfusion. The company offers INTERCEPT Blood Systems for platelets and plasma, which is designed to inactivate blood-borne pathogens in platelets and plasma donated for transfusion; INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells to inactivate blood-borne pathogens in red blood cells donated for transfusion; and INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation that uses its plasma system to produce pathogen reduced cryoprecipitated fibrinogen complex for the treatment and control of bleeding, including massive hemorrhage associated with fibrinogen deficiency, as well as pathogen reduced plasma, cryoprecipitate reduced. It sells platelet and plasma systems through its direct sales force and distributors in the United States, Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Middle East, Latin America, and internationally. Cerus Corporation was incorporated in 1991 and is headquartered in Concord, California.
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.
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