Critical Contrast: Astrana Health (NASDAQ:ASTH) and Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO)

Astrana Health (NASDAQ:ASTH) and Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) are both medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

52.8% of Astrana Health shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.4% of Exponent shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.5% of Astrana Health shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of Exponent shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Astrana Health and Exponent’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Astrana Health	3.63%	9.37%	5.32%
Exponent	19.52%	27.27%	15.24%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Astrana Health and Exponent”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Astrana Health	$2.03 billion	0.78	$60.72 million	$0.89	31.69
Exponent	$558.51 million	7.56	$109.00 million	$2.12	39.19

Exponent has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Astrana Health. Astrana Health is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Exponent, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Astrana Health has a beta of 1.3, meaning that its stock price is 30% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Exponent has a beta of 0.77, meaning that its stock price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Astrana Health and Exponent, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Astrana Health	0	2	6	1	2.89
Exponent	0	0	1	0	3.00

Astrana Health presently has a consensus price target of $56.83, suggesting a potential upside of 101.54%. Exponent has a consensus price target of $120.00, suggesting a potential upside of 44.42%. Given Astrana Health’s higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Astrana Health is more favorable than Exponent.

Summary

Exponent beats Astrana Health on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Astrana Health

Astrana Health, Inc., Inc., a physician-centric technology-powered healthcare management company, provides medical care services in the United States. It operates through three segments: Care Partners, Care Delivery, and Care Enablement. The company is leveraging its proprietary population health management and healthcare delivery platform, operates an integrated, value-based healthcare model which empowers the providers in its network to deliver care to its patients. It offers care coordination services to patients, families, primary care physicians, specialists, acute care hospitals, alternative sites of inpatient care, physician groups, and health plans. The company's physician network consists of primary care physicians, specialist physicians and extenders, and hospitalists. It serves patients, primarily covered by private or public insurance, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and health maintenance organization plans; and non-insured patients. The company was formerly known as Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Astrana Health, Inc. in February 2024. Astrana Health, Inc. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Alhambra, California.

About Exponent

Exponent, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a science and engineering consulting company in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Engineering and Other Scientific, and Environmental and Health. The Engineering and Other Scientific segment provides services in the areas of biomechanics, biomedical engineering and sciences, buildings and structures, civil engineering, construction consulting, data sciences, electrical engineering and computer science, human factors, materials and corrosion engineering, mechanical engineering, polymer science and materials chemistry, thermal sciences, and vehicle engineering. The Environmental and Health segment offers services in the areas of chemical regulation and food safety, ecological and biological sciences, environmental and earth sciences, and health sciences. The company offers approximately 90 technical disciplines to solve pressing and complicated challenges facing stakeholders. It serves clients in chemical, construction, consumer products, energy, food, beverage and nutrition, government, life sciences, insurance, manufacturing, technology, industrial equipment, transportation, and other sectors of the economy. The company was formerly known as The Failure Group, Inc. and changed its name to Exponent, Inc. in 1998. The company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.