Head to Head Analysis: BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) versus Guided Therapeutics (OTCMKTS:GTHP)

Guided Therapeutics (OTCMKTS:GTHP) and BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability and valuation.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

9.7% of Guided Therapeutics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.2% of BioLife Solutions shares are held by institutional investors. 66.8% of Guided Therapeutics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of BioLife Solutions shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Guided Therapeutics has a beta of 0.5, suggesting that its share price is 50% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BioLife Solutions has a beta of 1.85, suggesting that its share price is 85% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Guided Therapeutics and BioLife Solutions, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Guided Therapeutics	0	0	0	0	N/A
BioLife Solutions	0	0	5	0	3.00

BioLife Solutions has a consensus target price of $26.20, suggesting a potential upside of 1.24%. Given BioLife Solutions’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe BioLife Solutions is more favorable than Guided Therapeutics.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Guided Therapeutics and BioLife Solutions’ gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Guided Therapeutics	$100,000.00	78.83	-$3.49 million	N/A	N/A
BioLife Solutions	$139.96 million	8.52	-$66.43 million	($1.42)	-18.23

Guided Therapeutics has higher earnings, but lower revenue than BioLife Solutions.

Profitability

This table compares Guided Therapeutics and BioLife Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Guided Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-138.23%
BioLife Solutions	-59.88%	-10.75%	-8.89%

Summary

BioLife Solutions beats Guided Therapeutics on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Guided Therapeutics

Guided Therapeutics, Inc., a medical technology company, focuses on developing medical devices. It focuses on the commercialization of LuViva, a non-invasive cervical cancer detection device that identifies cervical cancers and precancers painlessly, non-invasively, and at the point-of-care by scanning the cervix with light, then analyzing the light reflected and fluorescent light. The company was formerly known as SpectRx, Inc. and changed its name to Guided Therapeutics, Inc. in February 2008. Guided Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 1992 and is based in Norcross, Georgia.

About BioLife Solutions

BioLife Solutions, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets bioproduction tools and services for the cell and gene therapy (CGT) industry in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. The company's products are used in the basic and applied research, and commercial manufacturing of biologic-based therapies. It offers proprietary biopreservation media products, including HypoThermosol FRS and CryoStor Freeze Media that are formulated to mitigate preservation-induced, delayed-onset cell damage and death; bioproduction tools, such as human platelet lysates for cell expansion and CellSeal closed system vials that are used in CGT; and the ThawSTAR line that comprises of a family of automated thawing devices for frozen cell and gene therapies packaged in cryovials and cryobags. The company also provides cryogenic freezer technology for controlled rate freezing and cryogenic storage of biologic materials; ultra-low temperature mechanical freezers; evo shipping containers that are cloud-connected passive storage and transport containers for temperature-sensitive biologics and pharmaceuticals; liquid nitrogen laboratory freezers, cryogenic equipment, and accessories; and biological and pharmaceutical storage and transport services. It markets and sells its products directly, as well as through third party distributors. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Bothell, Washington.