Financial Review: Co-Diagnostics (NASDAQ:CODX) vs. Lucid Diagnostics (NASDAQ:LUCD)

Co-Diagnostics (NASDAQ:CODX) and Lucid Diagnostics (NASDAQ:LUCD) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, risk, institutional ownership and earnings.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Co-Diagnostics and Lucid Diagnostics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Co-Diagnostics	0	1	0	0	2.00
Lucid Diagnostics	0	0	3	0	3.00

Co-Diagnostics currently has a consensus price target of $2.00, indicating a potential upside of 36.05%. Lucid Diagnostics has a consensus price target of $4.33, indicating a potential upside of 525.39%. Given Lucid Diagnostics’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Lucid Diagnostics is more favorable than Co-Diagnostics.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

15.0% of Co-Diagnostics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 74.0% of Lucid Diagnostics shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.4% of Co-Diagnostics shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 8.8% of Lucid Diagnostics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk & Volatility

Co-Diagnostics has a beta of -0.85, indicating that its stock price is 185% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lucid Diagnostics has a beta of 1.47, indicating that its stock price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Co-Diagnostics and Lucid Diagnostics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Co-Diagnostics	-582.36%	-42.35%	-38.55%
Lucid Diagnostics	-1,576.60%	-901.79%	-106.33%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Co-Diagnostics and Lucid Diagnostics’ top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Co-Diagnostics	$6.81 million	6.75	-$35.33 million	($1.32)	-1.11
Lucid Diagnostics	$2.43 million	14.95	-$52.67 million	($1.27)	-0.55

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

Summary

Lucid Diagnostics beats Co-Diagnostics on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

About Lucid Diagnostics

Lucid Diagnostics Inc. operates as a commercial-stage medical diagnostics technology company in the United States. The company focuses on patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who are at risk of developing esophageal precancer and cancer, primarily highly lethal esophageal adenocarcinoma. Its flagship product, the EsoGuard Esophageal DNA Test performed on samples collected with the EsoCheck Esophageal Cell collection device, a testing tool with the goal of preventing EAC deaths through early detection of esophageal precancer in at-risk GERD patients. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is based in New York, New York. Lucid Diagnostics Inc. is a subsidiary of PAVmed Inc.