U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) vs. Biodesix (NASDAQ:BDSX) Head-To-Head Comparison

Biodesix (NASDAQ:BDSX) and U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, earnings, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Biodesix and U.S. Physical Therapy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Biodesix	-26.97%	-788.19%	-30.33%
U.S. Physical Therapy	3.97%	9.39%	3.65%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

21.0% of Biodesix shares are held by institutional investors. 23.2% of Biodesix shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.4% of U.S. Physical Therapy shares are held by 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.

Volatility & Risk

Biodesix has a beta of 0.6, indicating that its share price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, U.S. Physical Therapy has a beta of 1.13, indicating that its share price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Biodesix and U.S. Physical Therapy”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Biodesix	$88.50 million	3.48	-$35.26 million	($3.17)	-9.21
U.S. Physical Therapy	$780.99 million	1.57	$39.58 million	$0.17	484.05

U.S. Physical Therapy has higher revenue and earnings than Biodesix. Biodesix is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than U.S. Physical Therapy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Biodesix and U.S. Physical Therapy, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Biodesix	1	0	3	1	2.80
U.S. Physical Therapy	0	2	4	1	2.86

Biodesix presently has a consensus target price of $31.33, suggesting a potential upside of 7.31%. U.S. Physical Therapy has a consensus target price of $98.25, suggesting a potential upside of 19.40%. Given U.S. Physical Therapy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe U.S. Physical Therapy is more favorable than Biodesix.

Summary

U.S. Physical Therapy beats Biodesix on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Biodesix

Biodesix, Inc. operates as a data-driven diagnostic solutions company in the United States. The company offers blood-based lung tests, including Nodify XL2 and Nodify CDT tests, together marketed as part of Nodify Lung Nodule Risk Assessment testing strategy, to assess the risk of lung cancer and help in identifying the appropriate treatment pathway and help physicians in reclassifying risk of malignancy in patients with suspicious lung nodules. It also provides GeneStrat ddPCR and NGS, and VeriStrat tests, which are used in the diagnosis of lung cancer to measure the presence of mutations in the tumor and the state of the patient's immune system to establish the patient's prognosis and help guide treatment decisions. In addition, the company, through its partnership with Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., provides Bio-Rad SARS-CoV-2 ddPCR, a COVID-19 Test under Biodesix WorkSafe testing program; and Platelia SARS-CoV-2 Total Ab test, an antibody test for detecting a B-cell immune response to SARS-CoV-2 that indicate recent or prior infection. Further, it offers diagnostic and clinical research, as well as clinical trial testing services to biopharmaceutical companies; and discovers, develops, and commercializes companion diagnostics. The company was formerly known as Elston Technologies, Inc. and as changed to Biodesix, Inc. in 2006. Biodesix, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Louisville, Colorado.

About U.S. Physical Therapy

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. operates outpatient physical therapy clinics. The company operates through Physical Therapy Operations and Industrial Injury Prevention Services segments. The company provides pre-and post-operative care and treatment for orthopedic-related disorders, sports-related injuries, preventative care, rehabilitation of injured workers, and neurological-related injuries. It offers industrial injury prevention services, including onsite injury prevention and rehabilitation, performance optimization, post-offer employment testing, functional capacity evaluations, and ergonomic assessments through physical therapists and specialized certified athletic trainers for Fortune 500 companies, and other clients comprising insurers and their contractors. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is based in Houston, Texas.