Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Ardent Health Partners, LLC (ARDT) vs Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AGIO) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | AGIO | 48.0% revenue growth vs ARDT's 10.3% |
| Quality / Margins | ARDT | 3.2% net margin vs AGIO's -9.0% |
| Stability / Safety | ARDT | Beta 0.88 vs AGIO's 0.91 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | AGIO | -14.9% vs ARDT's -35.9% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | ARDT | 4.0% ROA vs AGIO's -29.0%, ROIC 9.7% vs -26.6% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Ardent Health Partners operates a network of acute care hospitals and clinics providing comprehensive healthcare services across the United States. It generates revenue primarily from patient care services — including inpatient and outpatient treatments, surgeries, and rehabilitation — with the majority coming from government and private insurance reimbursements. The company benefits from its regional concentration in key markets, which creates operational efficiencies and strong local physician relationships that drive patient referrals.
Agios Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for rare genetic diseases related to cellular metabolism. It generates revenue primarily from sales of its lead drug PYRUKYND for pyruvate kinase deficiency — with additional income from research collaborations and milestone payments — while advancing a pipeline of other metabolic therapies. The company's competitive advantage lies in its deep expertise in cellular metabolism science and proprietary platform for targeting metabolic pathways in rare diseases.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
ARDT leads in 2 of 6 categories (Valuation Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). AGIO leads in 1 (Total Returns). 2 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
ARDT is the larger business by revenue, generating $6.3B annually — 141.2x AGIO's $45M. ARDT is the more profitable business, keeping 3.2% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to AGIO's -9.0%. On growth, AGIO holds the edge at +43.7% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | ARDTArdent Health Par… | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $6.3B | $45M |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $948M | -$470M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $205M | -$401M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $155M | -$414M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +70.6% | +84.4% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +12.6% | -10.6% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +3.2% | -9.0% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +2.4% | -9.2% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +8.8% | +43.7% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -189.5% | -111.0% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | ARDTArdent Health Par… | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $1.3B | $2.25T |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $3.1B | $2.25T |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 5.94x | -4.25x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 7.38x | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | 0.08x | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 5.55x | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.22x | 9999.00x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.82x | 1.47x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 10.51x | — |
Profitability & Efficiency
ARDT delivers a 12.6% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $13 in annual profit, vs $-31 for AGIO. AGIO carries lower financial leverage with a 0.03x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to ARDT's 1.50x. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), ARDT scores 8/9 vs AGIO's 3/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | ARDTArdent Health Par… | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +12.6% | -31.2% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +4.0% | -29.0% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +9.7% | -26.6% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +10.0% | -33.8% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 8 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 1.50x | 0.03x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $1.7B | -$49M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $557M | $89M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $2.3B | $40M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 7.08x | — |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in AGIO five years ago would be worth $6,363 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $5,847 for ARDT. Over the past 12 months, AGIO leads with a -14.9% total return vs ARDT's -35.9%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors AGIO at 6.1% vs ARDT's -16.4% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | ARDTArdent Health Par… | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +8.7% | +11.2% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -35.9% | -14.9% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -41.5% | +19.4% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -41.5% | -36.4% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -41.5% | -21.2% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -16.4% | +6.1% |
Risk & Volatility
ARDT is the less volatile stock with a 0.88 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than AGIO's 0.91 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. AGIO currently trades 65.7% from its 52-week high vs ARDT's 60.4% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | ARDTArdent Health Par… | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.88x | 0.91x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $15.55 | $46.00 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $8.07 | $22.24 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +60.4% | +65.7% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 55.7 | 62.3 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 341K | 948K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates ARDT as "Buy" and AGIO as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 55.2% upside for ARDT (target: $15) vs 37.3% for AGIO (target: $42).
| Metric | ARDTArdent Health Par… | AGIOAgios Pharmaceuti… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $14.57 | $41.50 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 12 | 29 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 1 | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Jul 24 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardent Health Partn… (ARDT) | 100 | 53.49 | -46.5% |
| Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) | 100 | 63.28 | -36.7% |
Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) returned -36% over 5 years vs Ardent Health Partn… (ARDT)'s -42%.
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardent Health Partn… (ARDT) | $2.1B | $6.0B | +183.4% |
| Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) | $70M | $54M | -22.7% |
Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s revenue grew from $70M (2016) to $54M (2025) — a -2.8% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2014 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardent Health Partn… (ARDT) | 0.7% | 3.5% | +408.3% |
| Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) | -81.9% | -7.6% | +90.7% |
Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s net margin went from -82% (2014) to -8% (2025).
Chart 4EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardent Health Partn… (ARDT) | 0.1 | 1.58 | +1480.0% |
| Agios Pharmaceutica… (AGIO) | -5.07 | -7.12 | -40.4% |
Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-5.07 (2016) to $-7.12 (2025).
Chart 5Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Ardent Health Partners, LLC generated $128M FCF in 2024 (+167% vs 2022). Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. generated $-377M FCF in 2025 (+9% vs 2021).
ARDT vs AGIO: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is ARDT or AGIO a better buy right now?
Ardent Health Partners, LLC (ARDT) offers the better valuation at 5.9x trailing P/E (7.4x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Ardent Health Partners, LLC (ARDT) a "Buy" — based on 12 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which is the better long-term investment — ARDT or AGIO?
Over the past 5 years, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AGIO) delivered a total return of -36.4%, compared to -41.5% for Ardent Health Partners, LLC (ARDT). A $10,000 investment in AGIO five years ago would be worth approximately $6K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: AGIO returned -21.2% versus ARDT's -41.5%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — ARDT or AGIO?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Ardent Health Partners, LLC (ARDT) is the lower-risk stock at 0.88β versus Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s 0.91β — meaning AGIO is approximately 2% more volatile than ARDT relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AGIO) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 3% versus 150% for Ardent Health Partners, LLC — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
04Which has better profit margins — ARDT or AGIO?
Ardent Health Partners, LLC (ARDT) is the more profitable company, earning 3.5% net margin versus -764.0% for Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. — meaning it keeps 3.5% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: ARDT leads at 6.8% versus -873.9% for AGIO. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — AGIO leads at 88.3%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
05Is ARDT or AGIO more undervalued right now?
Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for ARDT: 55.2% to $14.57.
06Which pays a better dividend — ARDT or AGIO?
None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.
07Is ARDT or AGIO better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Ardent Health Partners, LLC (ARDT) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.88)). Both have compounded well over 10 years (ARDT: -41.5%, AGIO: -21.2%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
08What are the main differences between ARDT and AGIO?
Both stocks operate in the Healthcare sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: ARDT is a small-cap deep-value stock; AGIO is a mega-cap quality compounder stock. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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