Contrasting Natural Alternatives International (NASDAQ:NAII) and FitLife Brands (NASDAQ:FTLF)

Natural Alternatives International (NASDAQ:NAII) and FitLife Brands (NASDAQ:FTLF) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Natural Alternatives International and FitLife Brands’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Natural Alternatives International	-3.22%	-4.70%	-2.77%
FitLife Brands	10.05%	27.17%	14.23%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

32.4% of Natural Alternatives International shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.3% of FitLife Brands shares are owned by institutional investors. 20.6% of Natural Alternatives International shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 61.2% of FitLife Brands shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Natural Alternatives International and FitLife Brands, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Natural Alternatives International	0	0	0	0	N/A
FitLife Brands	0	0	0	0	N/A

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Natural Alternatives International and FitLife Brands’ revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Natural Alternatives International	$127.76 million	0.31	$2.52 million	($0.70)	-9.30
FitLife Brands	$52.70 million	2.59	$5.30 million	$1.08	27.50

FitLife Brands has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Natural Alternatives International. Natural Alternatives International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than FitLife Brands, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

Natural Alternatives International has a beta of 0.54, indicating that its share price is 46% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, FitLife Brands has a beta of 0.78, indicating that its share price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

FitLife Brands beats Natural Alternatives International on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Natural Alternatives International

Natural Alternatives International, Inc. engages in formulating, manufacturing, and marketing nutritional supplements in the United States, Europe, Australia, Asia, Mexico, and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Private-Label Contract Manufacturing, and Patent and Trademark Licensing. It offers private-label contract manufacturing services to companies that market and distribute vitamins, minerals, herbal, and other nutritional supplements, as well as other health care products. The company also provides strategic partnering services, such as customized product formulation, clinical study design and support, manufacturing, marketing support, international regulatory and label law compliance, international product registration, packaging in multiple formats and labeling design, scientific research, proprietary ingredients, customer-specific nutritional product formulation, product testing and evaluation, marketing management, packaging and delivery system design, regulatory review, and international product registration assistance. In addition, it sells beta-alanine ingredient under the CarnoSyn and SR CarnoSyn names. The company manufactures products in various forms, including capsules, tablets, chewable wafers, and powders. Its private-label contract manufacturing customers include companies that market nutritional supplements through direct sales marketing channels, direct to consumer e-commerce channels, and retail stores. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California.

About FitLife Brands

FitLife Brands, Inc. provides nutritional supplements for health-conscious consumers in the United States and internationally. The company provides weight loss, sports nutrition, and general health products; sports nutrition products; weight loss and sports nutrition products; sports nutrition and general wellness formulations with an emphasis on natural, vegan, and organic ingredients; and male health and weight loss products, as well as other diet, health, and sports nutrition supplements and related products; and value-oriented sports nutrition and weight loss products. It offers MRC products which includes general health supplements; and natural skincare and beauty products. In addition, it markets its products under the brand names of NDS Nutrition, PMD Sports, SirenLabs, CoreActive, Nutrology, Metis Nutrition, iSatori, BioGenetic Laboratories, Energize, Dr. Tobias, All-Natural Advice, and Maritime Naturals through franchised stores, as well as through retail locations, which include specialty, mass, and online. The company was formerly known as Bond Laboratories, Inc. and changed its name to FitLife Brands, Inc. in September 2013. FitLife Brands, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.