Aethlon Medical (NASDAQ:AEMD – Get Free Report) and AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC – Get Free Report) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability and valuation.
Risk & Volatility
Aethlon Medical has a beta of 1.79, meaning that its stock price is 79% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AtriCure has a beta of 1.4, meaning that its stock price is 40% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Aethlon Medical and AtriCure, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Aethlon Medical | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| AtriCure | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3.00 |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
2.0% of Aethlon Medical shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.1% of AtriCure shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of Aethlon Medical shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.2% of AtriCure shares are held by 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.
Profitability
This table compares Aethlon Medical and AtriCure’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Aethlon Medical | N/A | -160.36% | -115.74% |
| AtriCure | -8.70% | -8.12% | -6.21% |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Aethlon Medical and AtriCure”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Aethlon Medical | $570,000.00 | 8.78 | -$12.21 million | ($2.82) | -0.13 |
| AtriCure | $447.57 million | 3.45 | -$30.44 million | ($0.83) | -38.16 |
Aethlon Medical has higher earnings, but lower revenue than AtriCure. AtriCure is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aethlon Medical, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
AtriCure beats Aethlon Medical on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Aethlon Medical
Aethlon Medical, Inc., a medical therapeutic company, focuses on developing products to treat cancer and life-threatening infectious diseases in the United States. It develops Hemopurifier, a clinical-stage immunotherapeutic device that removes tumor-derived exosomes and life-threatening viruses and use in organ transplantation. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is based in San Diego, California.
About AtriCure
AtriCure, Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells devices for surgical ablation of cardiac tissue, exclusion of the left atrial appendage, and temporarily blocking pain by ablating peripheral nerves to medical centers in the United States, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and internationally. The company offers Isolator Synergy Clamps, single-use disposable radio frequency products; multifunctional pens and linear ablation devices, such as the MAX Pen device that enables surgeons to evaluate cardiac arrhythmias, perform temporary cardiac pacing, sensing, and stimulation, and ablate cardiac tissue with the same device; and the Coolrail device, which enables users to make longer linear lines of ablation. It also provides cryoICE Cryoablation System that enables the user to make linear ablations of varied lengths; EPi-Sense Systems, a single-use disposable device used for the treatment of symptomatic, drug-refractory, and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation; cryoSPHERE probe, which provides temporary pain relief by applying cryothermic energy to targeted intercoastal peripheral nerves in the ribcage; AtriClip System, an implantable device coupled to a single-use disposable applier; and LARIAT System, a suture-based solution for soft-tissue closure. In addition, the company sells Lumitip dissectors to separate tissues to provide access to key anatomical structures that are targeted for ablation; Glidepath guides for placement of clamps; Subtle Cannula's to support access for EPi-Sense catheters; and various reusable cardiac surgery instruments. It markets and sells its products through independent distributors and direct sales personnel. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Mason, Ohio.
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