LivaNova (NASDAQ:LIVN) vs. Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) Critical Analysis

LivaNova (NASDAQ:LIVN) and Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) are both medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, valuation, risk, institutional ownership and dividends.

Volatility & Risk

LivaNova has a beta of 0.95, meaning that its share price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Mettler-Toledo International has a beta of 1.37, meaning that its share price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares LivaNova and Mettler-Toledo International”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LivaNova	$1.25 billion	2.23	$63.23 million	($3.89)	-13.17
Mettler-Toledo International	$3.87 billion	6.93	$863.14 million	$39.49	32.96

Mettler-Toledo International has higher revenue and earnings than LivaNova. LivaNova is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mettler-Toledo International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares LivaNova and Mettler-Toledo International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LivaNova	-16.13%	14.57%	6.91%
Mettler-Toledo International	21.46%	-476.07%	26.05%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

97.6% of LivaNova shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.1% of Mettler-Toledo International shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of LivaNova shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.9% of Mettler-Toledo International shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for LivaNova and Mettler-Toledo International, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LivaNova	0	2	5	0	2.71
Mettler-Toledo International	0	5	5	0	2.50

LivaNova presently has a consensus price target of $59.71, indicating a potential upside of 16.56%. Mettler-Toledo International has a consensus price target of $1,328.33, indicating a potential upside of 2.06%. Given LivaNova’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe LivaNova is more favorable than Mettler-Toledo International.

Summary

Mettler-Toledo International beats LivaNova on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LivaNova

LivaNova PLC, a medical device company, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells therapeutic solutions worldwide. The company operates through Cardiopulmonary, Neuromodulation, and Advanced Circulatory Support segments. The Cardiopulmonary segment develops, produces, and sells cardiopulmonary products, including oxygenators, heart-lung machines, autotransfusion systems, perfusion tubing systems, cannulae, connect, and other related products. The Neuromodulation segment designs, develops, markets, and sells VNS Therapy System, an implantable pulse generator and connective lead that stimulates the vagus nerve; difficult-to-treat depression and drug-resistant epilepsy devices. The Advanced Circulatory Support segment develops, produces, and sells temporary life support products. It serves perfusionists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and other physicians, as well as hospitals, other medical institutions, and healthcare providers. The company sells its products through direct sales representatives and independent distributors. LivaNova PLC was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

About Mettler-Toledo International

Mettler-Toledo International Inc. manufactures and supplies precision instruments and services in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It operates through five segments: U.S. Operations, Swiss Operations, Western European Operations, Chinese Operations, and Other. The company’s laboratory instruments include laboratory balances, liquid pipetting solutions, automated laboratory reactors, real-time analytics, titrators, pH meters, process analytics sensors and analyzer technologies, physical value analyzers, density and refractometry, thermal analysis systems, and other analytical instruments; and LabX, a laboratory software platform to manage and analyze data generated from its instruments. Its industrial instruments comprise industrial weighing instruments and related terminals, automatic dimensional measurement and data capture solutions, vehicle scale systems, industrial software, metal detection equipment, x-ray systems, check weighing equipment, camera-based imaging equipment, track-and-trace solutions, and product inspection systems. The company’s retail weighing solutions consist of weighing and software solutions, AI-driven image recognition solution, and automated packaging and labelling solutions for the meat backroom. It serves the life science industry, independent research organizations, and testing labs; food and beverage manufacturers; food retailers; chemical, specialty chemical, and cosmetics companies; food retailers; transportation and logistics, metals, and electronics industries; and the academic community through its direct sales force and indirect distribution channels. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. was incorporated in 1991 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.