Comparing SeaStar Medical (NASDAQ:ICU) and Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO)

SeaStar Medical (NASDAQ:ICU) and Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) are both medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, risk, valuation, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares SeaStar Medical and Bausch + Lomb”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
SeaStar Medical	$766,000.00	20.75	-$24.83 million	($2.62)	-0.22
Bausch + Lomb	$4.79 billion	1.12	-$317.00 million	($0.78)	-19.42

SeaStar Medical has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Bausch + Lomb. Bausch + Lomb is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than SeaStar Medical, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares SeaStar Medical and Bausch + Lomb’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
SeaStar Medical	-1,915.27%	N/A	-232.65%
Bausch + Lomb	-5.58%	2.33%	1.12%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for SeaStar Medical and Bausch + Lomb, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
SeaStar Medical	1	0	0	0	1.00
Bausch + Lomb	2	8	3	0	2.08

Bausch + Lomb has a consensus target price of $15.70, indicating a potential upside of 3.67%. Given Bausch + Lomb’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Bausch + Lomb is more favorable than SeaStar Medical.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

1.7% of SeaStar Medical shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 11.1% of Bausch + Lomb shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of SeaStar Medical shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Bausch + Lomb shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

SeaStar Medical has a beta of -1.07, indicating that its share price is 207% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bausch + Lomb has a beta of 0.63, indicating that its share price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Bausch + Lomb beats SeaStar Medical on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About SeaStar Medical

SeaStar Medical Holding Corporation, a medical device company, develops a platform therapy to reduce the consequences of hyperinflammation on vital organs in the United States. The company offers inflammatory response to fend off infections and repair damaged tissue in the body. It is also developing products in various therapeutic areas, including pediatric and adult acute kidney injury on CRRT; cardiorenal syndrome in congestive heart failure; myocardial stunning in end stage renal disease; and hepatorenal syndrome. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

About Bausch + Lomb

Bausch + Lomb Corporation operates as an eye health company in the United States, Puerto Rico, China, France, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Poland, South Korea, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Vision Care, Pharmaceuticals, and Surgical. The Vision Care segment provides contact lens that covers the spectrum of wearing modalities, including daily disposable and frequently replaced contact lenses; and contact lens care products comprising over-the-counter eye drops, eye vitamins, and mineral supplements that address various conditions, such as eye allergies, conjunctivitis, dry eye, and redness relief. Its Pharmaceuticals segment offers proprietary and generic pharmaceutical products for post-operative treatments, as well as for the treatment of glaucoma, eye inflammation, ocular hypertension, dry eyes, and retinal diseases. The Surgical segment provides medical device equipment, consumables, and technologies for the treatment of cataracts, corneal, vitreous, and retinal eye conditions; and intraocular lenses and delivery systems, phacoemulsification equipment, and other surgical instruments and devices for cataract surgery. The company sells its products and services through direct sales forces and independent distributors. Bausch + Lomb Corporation was founded in 1853 and is headquartered in Vaughan, Canada. Bausch + Lomb Corporation is a subsidiary of Bausch Health Companies Inc.