Critical Analysis: Lifecore Biomedical (NASDAQ:LFCR) & ANI Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ANIP)
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemLifecore Biomedical (NASDAQ:LFCR – Get Free Report) and ANI Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ANIP – Get Free Report) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, risk, dividends and profitability.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Lifecore Biomedical and ANI Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Lifecore Biomedical | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2.56 |
Lifecore Biomedical presently has a consensus price target of $6.50, suggesting a potential upside of 57.77%. ANI Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $105.57, suggesting a potential upside of 50.41%. Given Lifecore Biomedical’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Lifecore Biomedical is more favorable than ANI Pharmaceuticals.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Lifecore Biomedical and ANI Pharmaceuticals”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Lifecore Biomedical | $128.87 million | 1.21 | -$40.50 million | ($1.07) | -3.85 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals | $978.38 million | 1.65 | $78.34 million | $4.64 | 15.13 |
ANI Pharmaceuticals has higher revenue and earnings than Lifecore Biomedical. Lifecore Biomedical is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ANI Pharmaceuticals, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
83.4% of Lifecore Biomedical shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.1% of ANI Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 32.7% of Lifecore Biomedical shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 8.1% of ANI Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Volatility and Risk
Lifecore Biomedical has a beta of 1.08, suggesting that its share price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ANI Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.45, suggesting that its share price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Lifecore Biomedical and ANI Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Lifecore Biomedical | -29.93% | N/A | -16.16% |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals | 11.07% | 27.37% | 10.47% |
Summary
ANI Pharmaceuticals beats Lifecore Biomedical on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Lifecore Biomedical
Lifecore Biomedical, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated contract development and manufacturing organization in the United States and internationally. The company engages in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical-grade sodium hyaluronate (HA) in bulk form, as well as formulated and filled syringes and vials for injectable products used in treating a range of medical conditions and procedures. It also provides services, such as technology development, material component changes, analytical method development, formulation development, pilot studies, stability studies, process validation, and production of materials for clinical studies to its partners for HA-based and non-HA based aseptically formulated and filled products. The company was formerly known as Landec Corporation and changed its name to Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. in November 2022. Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Chaska, Minnesota.
About ANI Pharmaceuticals
ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and markets branded and generic prescription pharmaceuticals in the United States and Canada. The company manufactures oral solid dose products; semi-solids, liquids, and topicals; controlled substances; and potent products, as well as performs contract development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. It markets its products through retail pharmacy chains, wholesalers, distributors and mail order pharmacies, group purchasing organizations, specialty pharmacies, and hospitals. ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Baudette, Minnesota.