Analyzing Lisata Therapeutics (NASDAQ:LSTA) & Metagenomi (NASDAQ:MGX)

Lisata Therapeutics (NASDAQ:LSTA) and Metagenomi (NASDAQ:MGX) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, valuation and risk.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

8.9% of Lisata Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. 9.6% of Lisata Therapeutics shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 12.5% of Metagenomi shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Lisata Therapeutics has a beta of 0.94, suggesting that its share price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Metagenomi has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Lisata Therapeutics and Metagenomi’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lisata Therapeutics	N/A	-116.08%	-90.55%
Metagenomi	-384.61%	-63.65%	-44.52%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Lisata Therapeutics and Metagenomi”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lisata Therapeutics	$100,000.00	96.42	-$16.59 million	($1.64)	-0.65
Metagenomi	$25.21 million	1.27	-$87.87 million	($2.49)	-0.34

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for Lisata Therapeutics and Metagenomi, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lisata Therapeutics	1	2	0	0	1.67
Metagenomi	1	0	2	1	2.75

Metagenomi has a consensus target price of $6.00, suggesting a potential upside of 609.89%. Given Metagenomi’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Metagenomi is more favorable than Lisata Therapeutics.

Summary

Metagenomi beats Lisata Therapeutics on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lisata Therapeutics

Lisata Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of solid tumors and other diseases. Its product candidates include LSTA1, which is in Phase 2a and 2b clinical studies for the treatment of solid tumor, including metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC), in combination with a range of anti-cancer regimens; XOWNA that is in Phase IIa clinical trial for the treatment of coronary microvascular dysfunction; and CD34+ cell therapy for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. Lisata Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

About Metagenomi

Metagenomi, Inc., a genetic medicines company, develops therapeutics for patients using metagenomics-derived genome editing toolbox in the United States. The company's genome editing toolbox includes programmable nucleases, base editors, and RNA and DNA-mediated integration systems, such as prime editing systems and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated transposases. It has a strategic collaboration and license agreement with ModernaTX, Inc. focusing on new genome editing system for in vivo human therapeutic applications; a development, option, and license agreement with Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc. to develop and commercialize gene edited T-cell receptor-based therapeutic products in the field of treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of human cancer; and a collaboration and license agreement with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to research, develop, and commercialize investigational medicines using genome editing technologies. The company was incorporated in 2016 and is based in Emeryville, California.