Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) and Vapor (OTCMKTS:HCMC) Financial Contrast

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.1% of Vapor shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.7% of Merit Medical Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 44.9% of Vapor shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.2% of Merit Medical Systems shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vapor	N/A	-570.86%	-356.77%
Merit Medical Systems	8.31%	15.07%	8.60%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Vapor and Merit Medical Systems, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vapor	0	0	0	0	0.00
Merit Medical Systems	0	0	8	0	3.00

Merit Medical Systems has a consensus price target of $107.50, suggesting a potential upside of 29.99%. Given Merit Medical Systems’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Merit Medical Systems is more favorable than Vapor.

Risk and Volatility

Vapor has a beta of -1.24, meaning that its stock price is 224% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Merit Medical Systems has a beta of 0.64, meaning that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Vapor and Merit Medical Systems”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vapor	N/A	N/A	-$11.89 million	N/A	N/A
Merit Medical Systems	$1.36 billion	3.61	$120.36 million	$1.97	41.98

Merit Medical Systems has higher revenue and earnings than Vapor.

Summary

Merit Medical Systems beats Vapor on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Vapor

Healthier Choices Management Corp. operates natural and organic retail stores in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Grocery and Vapor. The company operates Ada's Natural Market and Paradise Health & Nutrition stores that offer fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, packaged groceries, meat and seafood, deli, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, health and beauty products, and natural household items; Mother Earth's Storehouse and Ellwood Thompson stores, which provide organic and health foods, and vitamins; and Greens Natural Food stores that offers organic produce and non-GMO groceries and bulk foods, various local products, juice and smoothie bar, fresh foods, vitamins and supplements, and health and beauty products. It also sells vitamins and supplements, as well as health, beauty, and personal care products through its TheVitaminStore.com website. In addition, the company offers Q-Unit and Q-Cup technology, a product that enables consumers to vape concentrates either medicinally or recreationally. Healthier Choices Management Corp. is headquartered in Hollywood, Florida.

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.