Contrasting Repligen (NASDAQ:RGEN) and Sonic Healthcare (OTCMKTS:SKHCF)

Repligen (NASDAQ:RGEN) and Sonic Healthcare (OTCMKTS:SKHCF) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Repligen and Sonic Healthcare’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Repligen	5.29%	5.30%	3.79%
Sonic Healthcare	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Repligen and Sonic Healthcare”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Repligen	$738.26 million	13.48	$48.89 million	$0.73	241.47
Sonic Healthcare	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.95	14.29

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

Insider & Institutional Ownership

97.6% of Repligen shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 31.8% of Sonic Healthcare shares are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of Repligen shares are held 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.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Repligen and Sonic Healthcare, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Repligen	0	3	12	3	3.00
Sonic Healthcare	0	0	0	0	0.00

Repligen presently has a consensus target price of $166.43, suggesting a potential downside of 5.58%. Given Repligen’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Repligen is more favorable than Sonic Healthcare.

Summary

Repligen beats Sonic Healthcare on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Repligen

Repligen Corporation develops and commercializes bioprocessing technologies and systems for use in biological drug manufacturing process in North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It offers Protein A ligands that are the binding components of Protein A affinity chromatography resins; and cell culture growth factor products. The company’s chromatography products include OPUS pre-packed chromatography columns, which are used in the purification of biologics; and OPUS smaller-scale columns that are used in the high throughput process development screening, viral clearance validation studies, and scale down validation of chromatography processes. It also offers ELISA test kits; and chromatography resins under the CaptivA brand. In addition, the company provides filtration products, such as XCell Alternating Tangential Flow systems that are filtration devices used in upstream perfusion and cell culture processing; TangenX flat sheet cassettes, which are used in downstream biologic drug concentration, buffer exchange, and formulation processes; KrosFlo tangential flow filtration and tangential flow depth filtration systems; Spectra/Por laboratory and process dialysis products, and ProConnex TFDF flow paths. Further, it provides process analytics products, such as slope spectroscopy systems under the SoloVPE, FlowVPE, and FlowVPX brands. The company sells its products to life sciences, biopharmaceutical, and diagnostics companies; laboratory researchers; and contract manufacturing organizations. Repligen Corporation has collaboration agreements with Navigo Proteins GmbH to develop multiple affinity ligands. The company was incorporated in 1981 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

About Sonic Healthcare

Sonic Healthcare Limited offers medical diagnostic and administrative services to medical practitioners, hospitals, community health services, and patients in Australia, the United States, Germany, and internationally. The company provides laboratory medicine/pathology testing services, such as biochemistry, cytopathology, genetics, haematology, histopathology, immunoserology, microbiology, molecular pathology, prenatal testing, toxicology, and ancillary functions; and radiology services, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, X-ray, mammography, nuclear medicine, PET CT, interventional procedures, and bone mineral densitometry. It offers primary care medical services comprising general practice clinics, occupational health services, skin cancer clinics, general practice IT solutions, and community-based healthcare services. Sonic Healthcare Limited was incorporated in 1934 and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia.