Alphatec (NASDAQ:ATEC) versus Cresco Labs (OTCMKTS:CRLBF) Head-To-Head Survey

Cresco Labs (OTCMKTS:CRLBF) and Alphatec (NASDAQ:ATEC) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Cresco Labs and Alphatec’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cresco Labs	-15.50%	-7.53%	-1.68%
Alphatec	-13.49%	-6,752.24%	-13.88%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.1% of Cresco Labs shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 66.3% of Alphatec shares are held by institutional investors. 13.5% of Alphatec 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.

Volatility and Risk

Cresco Labs has a beta of 1.59, meaning that its share price is 59% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Alphatec has a beta of 0.78, meaning that its share price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Cresco Labs and Alphatec”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cresco Labs	$655.85 million	0.34	-$135.41 million	($0.30)	-2.00
Alphatec	$764.16 million	2.25	-$143.36 million	($0.71)	-15.65

Cresco Labs has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Alphatec. Alphatec is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cresco Labs, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Cresco Labs and Alphatec, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cresco Labs	0	0	1	2	3.67
Alphatec	1	1	13	0	2.80

Alphatec has a consensus price target of $17.40, suggesting a potential upside of 56.62%. Given Alphatec’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Alphatec is more favorable than Cresco Labs.

Summary

Cresco Labs beats Alphatec on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Cresco Labs

Cresco Labs Inc., together with its subsidiaries, cultivates, manufactures, and sells retail and medical cannabis products in the United States. It provides cannabis in flowers, vape pens, live resins, disposable pens, and extracts under the Cresco brand; vape carts, vape pens, flower, popcorn, shake, pre-rolls, shorties, and concentrates under the High Supply brand; vapes and gummies under the Good News brand; vapes and edibles under the Wonder Wellness Co. brand; and tinctures, capsules, salves, and sublingual oils under the Remedi brand. The company also offers cannabis flowers under the FloraCal brand; and chocolate and toffee confections and fruit-forward gummies under the Mindy's Edibles brand, as well as licenses the Kiva brand, which produces cannabis infused edibles, including chocolate confections, gummies, mints, and tarts. In addition, the company offers cannabis-infused edibles under the Sunnyside brand. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

About Alphatec

Alphatec Holdings, Inc., a medical technology company, designs, develops, and advances technologies for the surgical treatment of spinal disorders in the United States and internationally. It manufactures and sells implants and instruments through third-party suppliers. The company offers Alpha InformatiX product platform, including EOS imaging system that provides full-body imaging; VEA alignment mobile application, which leverages EOS technology to more quickly quantify alignment parameters on a mobile device; SafeOp Neural InformatiX System that automates electromyographic and somatosensory evoked potential monitoring; and Valence, an intra-operative system that integrates navigation and robotics into spine procedures, as well as Sigma Prone TransPsoas (PTP) Access and PTP Patient Positioning Systems. It also provides split-blade retractors; Sigma-ALIF Access System, a procedure-specific access system; spinal implants and fixation systems comprising NanoTec surface modifications, Calibrate PSX, and Invictus, as well as various standalone implants for height restoration and stabilization. In addition, the company provides biologics comprising 3D ProFuse Osteoconductive Bioscaffold for ease of handling and better endplate-to-endplate contact; AlphaGRAFT Demineralized Bone Matrix (DBM) comprising demineralized human tissues; AlphaGRAFT DBM Fibers comprising demineralized fibers; AlphaGRAFT Cellular Bone Matrix (CBM), a growth factor-enriched cellular bone matrix; AlphaGRAFT CBM that is delivered in granular, fiber, or structural form; BioCORE Moldable Bioactive Graft, a synthetic mineral-collagen composite matrix that can be molded to fit the bone defect; and Amnioshield Amniotic Tissue Barrier, an allograft for spinal surgical barrier applications. The company sells its products through a network of independent sales agents and direct sales representatives. Alphatec Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California.