Personalis (NASDAQ:PSNL – Get Free Report) and Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA – Get Free Report) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership and valuation.
Risk and Volatility
Personalis has a beta of 2.4, indicating that its stock price is 140% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Azenta has a beta of 1.47, indicating that its stock price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
61.9% of Personalis shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.1% of Azenta shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.2% of Personalis shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 10.9% of Azenta shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Personalis and Azenta, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Personalis | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2.10 |
| Azenta | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2.43 |
Personalis currently has a consensus target price of $15.29, suggesting a potential downside of 2.30%. Azenta has a consensus target price of $47.60, suggesting a potential upside of 9.25%. Given Azenta’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Azenta is more favorable than Personalis.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Personalis and Azenta”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Personalis | $69.65 million | 24.36 | -$81.27 million | ($1.17) | -13.38 |
| Azenta | $621.70 million | 3.07 | -$55.76 million | ($3.62) | -12.04 |
Azenta has higher revenue and earnings than Personalis. Personalis is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Azenta, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Personalis and Azenta’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Personalis | -147.74% | -49.53% | -37.78% |
| Azenta | -26.86% | 1.41% | 1.15% |
Summary
Azenta beats Personalis on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Personalis
Personalis is a cancer genomics company that develops sequencing and data-analysis tools for cancer research and personalized cancer care. Its services support pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic researchers, and clinicians studying cancer and evaluating treatments. The company’s offerings include NeXT Personal, a blood-based test designed to detect molecular residual disease and monitor cancer recurrence using circulating tumor DNA. Personalis also provides tumor profiling and immunogenomics services that analyze cancer-related genetic changes and features of the tumor immune environment.
About Azenta
Azenta, Inc. provides products and services for life sciences research and the management of biological samples. Its offerings include automated sample storage systems, laboratory automation equipment, consumables, and software used to track and manage samples. The company also provides genomic services through GENEWIZ, including sequencing and other genetic analysis services for researchers and organizations in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries. Azenta was formed in 2021 when Brooks Automation separated its life sciences business and adopted the Azenta name.
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