Comparing STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) and ICU Medical (NASDAQ:ICUI)

STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) and ICU Medical (NASDAQ:ICUI) are both healthcare companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, valuation, risk and institutional ownership.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares STAAR Surgical and ICU Medical”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
STAAR Surgical	$239.44 million	5.28	-$80.45 million	N/A	N/A
ICU Medical	$2.23 billion	1.93	$730,000.00	$2.39	72.01

ICU Medical has higher revenue and earnings than STAAR Surgical.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for STAAR Surgical and ICU Medical, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
STAAR Surgical	3	5	4	1	2.23
ICU Medical	0	3	4	2	2.89

STAAR Surgical currently has a consensus target price of $29.00, indicating a potential upside of 15.03%. ICU Medical has a consensus target price of $195.20, indicating a potential upside of 13.42%. Given STAAR Surgical’s higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe STAAR Surgical is more favorable than ICU Medical.

Volatility and Risk

STAAR Surgical has a beta of 1.22, indicating that its stock price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ICU Medical has a beta of 0.88, indicating that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares STAAR Surgical and ICU Medical’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
STAAR Surgical	0.16%	8.43%	6.50%
ICU Medical	2.76%	8.46%	4.49%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

96.7% of STAAR Surgical shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.1% of ICU Medical shares are held by institutional investors. 39.9% of STAAR Surgical shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of ICU Medical shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

ICU Medical beats STAAR Surgical on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About STAAR Surgical

STAAR Surgical Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells implantable lenses for the eye, and companion delivery systems to deliver the lenses into the eye. The company provides implantable Collamer lens product family (ICLs) to treat visual disorders, such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. It markets its products to health care providers, including ophthalmic surgeons, vision and surgical centers, hospitals, government facilities, and distributors, as well as products are primarily used by ophthalmologists. The company sells its products directly through its sales representatives in the United States, Japan, Germany, Spain, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, as well as through own representatives and independent distributors in China, Korea, India, France, Benelux, Italy, and internationally. STAAR Surgical Company was incorporated in 1982 and is headquartered in Lake Forest, California.

About ICU Medical

ICU Medical, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells medical devices used in infusion therapy, vascular access, and vital care applications worldwide. Its infusion therapy products include needlefree products under the MicroClave, MicroClave Clear, and NanoClave brands; Neutron catheter patency devices; ChemoClave and ChemoLock closed system transfer devices, which are used to limit the escape of hazardous drugs or vapor concentrations, block the transfer of environmental contaminants into the system, and eliminates the risk of needlestick injury; Tego needle free connectors; Deltec GRIPPER non-coring needles for portal access; and ClearGuard, SwabCap, and SwabTip disinfection caps. The company provides IV therapy and diluents, such as sodium chloride, dextrose, balanced electrolyte solutions, lactated ringer's, ringer's, mannitol, sodium chloride/dextrose, and sterile water; and irrigation solutions comprising sodium chloride and sterile water irrigation, physiologic solutions, ringer's irrigation, acetic acid irrigation, glycine irrigation, sorbitol-mannitol irrigation, flexible containers, and pour bottle options. It offers infusion pumps under the Plum 360 and Plum Duo brands; ambulatory and syringe infusion hardware products; IV mediation safety software, including ICU Medical MedNet, an enterprise-class medication management platform; LifeShield and PharmGuard medication infusion safety software; hemodynamic monitoring products; anesthesia systems and devices, breathing circuits, ventilation, respiratory, and specialty airway products; temperature management solutions; anesthesia/pain management trays and components; and professional services. The company's customers include acute care hospitals, wholesalers, ambulatory clinics, and alternate site facilities, including outpatient clinics, home health care providers, and long-term care facilities. ICU Medical, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is based in San Clemente, California.