Contrasting Avivagen (OTCMKTS:VIVXF) & Stryker (NYSE:SYK)

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) and Avivagen (OTCMKTS:VIVXF) are both medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

77.1% of Stryker shares are held by institutional investors. 5.9% of Stryker shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of Avivagen shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Stryker and Avivagen, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Stryker	0	4	12	0	2.75
Avivagen	0	0	0	0	0.00

Stryker currently has a consensus price target of $426.94, suggesting a potential upside of 14.57%. Given Stryker’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Stryker is more favorable than Avivagen.

Profitability

This table compares Stryker and Avivagen’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Stryker	12.92%	24.41%	11.25%
Avivagen	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Stryker and Avivagen”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Stryker	$25.12 billion	5.68	$3.25 billion	$8.40	44.36
Avivagen	N/A	N/A	N/A	($0.04)	N/A

Stryker has higher revenue and earnings than Avivagen. Avivagen is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Stryker, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Stryker beats Avivagen on 10 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Stryker

Stryker Corporation operates as a medical technology company. The company operates through two segments, MedSurg and Neurotechnology, and Orthopaedics and Spine. The Orthopaedics and Spine segment provides implants for use in total joint replacements, such as hip, knee and shoulder, and trauma and extremities surgeries. This segment also offers spinal implant products comprising cervical and thoracolumbar systems that include fixation, minimally invasive and interbody systems used in spinal injury, complex spine and degenerative therapies. The MedSurg and Neurotechnology segment offers surgical equipment, and surgical navigation systems, endoscopic and communications systems, patient handling, emergency medical equipment and intensive care disposable products, reprocessed and remanufactured medical devices, clinical communication and workflow solutions, and other medical device products that are used in various medical specialties, as well as patient and caregiver safety technologies. This segment also provides neurosurgical, neurovascular and craniomaxillofacial implant products, which include products used for minimally invasive endovascular procedures; products for brain and open skull based surgical procedures; orthobiologic and biosurgery products, such as synthetic bone grafts and vertebral augmentation products; minimally invasive products for the treatment of acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke; and craniomaxillofacial implant products, including cranial, maxillofacial, and chest wall devices, as well as dural substitutes and sealants. The company sells its products to doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities through company-owned subsidiaries and branches, as well as third-party dealers and distributors in approximately 75 countries. Stryker Corporation was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Portage, Michigan.

About Avivagen

Avivagen Inc. focuses on developing and commercializing products for livestock feeds that support immune function and help animals to achieve their growth and productivity. The company offers OxC-beta Livestock, a premix for inclusion in livestock feeds; Vivamune health chews for dogs; Dr. Tobias dog chews; and Dr. Tobias Beta blend for the human immune system. It serves in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand. Avivagen Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.