Head to Head Survey: Remedent (OTCMKTS:REMI) and Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI)

Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) and Remedent (OTCMKTS:REMI) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, risk and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Merit Medical Systems and Remedent’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merit Medical Systems	8.02%	14.27%	8.23%
Remedent	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Merit Medical Systems and Remedent”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merit Medical Systems	$1.36 billion	3.79	$120.36 million	$1.95	44.46
Remedent	$990,000.00	N/A	-$270,000.00	($0.01)	-0.04

Merit Medical Systems has higher revenue and earnings than Remedent. Remedent is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merit Medical Systems, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

99.7% of Merit Medical Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.2% of Merit Medical Systems shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

Merit Medical Systems has a beta of 0.61, indicating that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Remedent has a beta of -0.32, indicating that its stock price is 132% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Merit Medical Systems and Remedent, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merit Medical Systems	0	2	8	0	2.80
Remedent	0	0	0	0	0.00

Merit Medical Systems presently has a consensus target price of $104.50, indicating a potential upside of 20.53%. Given Merit Medical Systems’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Merit Medical Systems is more favorable than Remedent.

Summary

Merit Medical Systems beats Remedent on 13 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Merit Medical Systems

Merit Medical Systems, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and markets single-use medical products for interventional, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Cardiovascular and Endoscopy. The company provides micropuncture kits, angiographic needles, sheaths, guide wires, and safety products; peripheral intervention, including angiography, drainage, delivery systems, and embolotherapy products; spine products, such as vertebral augmentation, radiofrequency ablation, and bone biopsy systems; oncology products; and cardiac intervention products, such as access, angiography, electrophysiology and cardiac rhythm management, fluid management, hemodynamic monitoring, hemostasis, and intervention to treat various heart conditions. It also offers custom procedural solutions that include critical care products, disinfection protection systems, syringes, manifold kits, and trays and packs; coating services for medical tubes and wires; and sensor components for microelectromechanical systems. In addition, the company provides pulmonary products that consist of laser-cut tracheobronchial stents, over-the-wire and direct visualization delivery systems, and dilation balloons to endoscopically dilate structures; gastroenterology products, such as covered esophageal stents, syringe and gauges, and balloon dilators; and kits and accessories for endoscopy and bronchoscopy procedures. It sells its products to hospitals and alternate site-based physicians, technicians, and nurses through direct sales force, distributors, original equipment manufacturer partners, or custom procedure tray manufacturers. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in South Jordan, Utah.

About Remedent

Remedent, Inc. researches, designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes oral care and cosmetic dentistry products in the United States and internationally. It primarily provides professional veneers and teeth whitening products for professional and over-the-counter use. The company also offers River8, a prefab veneer that enables the dentist to find the right combination of teeth for a patient with minor reshaping. In addition, it provides GlamSmile veneers, which are ultra-thin claddings attached to the front of the patient’s teeth. Further, the company offers SmileMe Mirror, an integrated marketing concept for the dental practice that enables dentists to offer smile consultation in approximately 10 minutes; SmileSketch, a simulation software to make a sketch of what the patient could look like; and various Treatment Pages to explain the benefits of certain treatments, as well as Condor, an intra-oral 3D scanner. Additionally, it provides dental implant solutions and treatment concepts. The company sells its products through internal sales force and third party distributors. Remedent, Inc. was incorporated in 1986 and is headquartered in Ghent, Belgium.