Comparing ICU Medical (NASDAQ:ICUI) & STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA)

STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) and ICU Medical (NASDAQ:ICUI) are both healthcare companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, risk and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares STAAR Surgical and ICU Medical’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
STAAR Surgical	0.16%	8.56%	6.60%
ICU Medical	1.39%	7.91%	4.17%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

96.7% of STAAR Surgical shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.1% of ICU Medical shares are held by institutional investors. 39.9% of STAAR Surgical shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.1% of ICU Medical shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

STAAR Surgical has a beta of 1.22, meaning that its share price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ICU Medical has a beta of 0.88, meaning that its share price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for STAAR Surgical and ICU Medical, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
STAAR Surgical	3	5	4	1	2.23
ICU Medical	0	3	4	2	2.89

STAAR Surgical currently has a consensus target price of $29.00, indicating a potential upside of 21.62%. ICU Medical has a consensus target price of $195.20, indicating a potential upside of 8.13%. Given STAAR Surgical’s higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe STAAR Surgical is more favorable than ICU Medical.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares STAAR Surgical and ICU Medical”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
STAAR Surgical	$239.44 million	4.99	-$80.45 million	N/A	N/A
ICU Medical	$2.23 billion	2.02	$730,000.00	$2.39	75.53

ICU Medical has higher revenue and earnings than STAAR Surgical.

Summary

STAAR Surgical beats ICU Medical on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About STAAR Surgical

STAAR Surgical is a medical device company focused on ophthalmic surgery and vision correction. The company develops, manufactures and markets implantable lenses and related products designed to reduce or eliminate dependence on glasses or contact lenses. Its principal product line is the EVO Visian Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL), a lens implanted inside the eye to correct myopia, with or without astigmatism. Unlike procedures that remove corneal tissue, ICL surgery preserves the eye’s natural lens and is designed to be removable.

About ICU Medical

ICU Medical is a medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets products used in infusion therapy, vascular access and critical care. Its offerings include infusion pumps and related sets and accessories, IV solutions, needlefree connectors, and products designed to help protect healthcare workers when handling hazardous drugs. Founded in 1984, the company expanded its product portfolio through acquisitions, including the infusion systems business of Hospira in 2017 and Smiths Medical in 2022.