Head to Head Review: Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO) vs. MariMed (OTCMKTS:MRMD)

Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO) and MariMed (OTCMKTS:MRMD) are both medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation and profitability.

Volatility & Risk

Bio-Rad Laboratories has a beta of 1.06, indicating that its share price is 6% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MariMed has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its share price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Bio-Rad Laboratories and MariMed”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bio-Rad Laboratories	$2.59 billion	2.98	$759.90 million	$6.07	47.54
MariMed	$159.83 million	0.19	-$14.48 million	($0.03)	-2.50

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

Institutional and Insider Ownership

65.2% of Bio-Rad Laboratories shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.2% of MariMed shares are owned by institutional investors. 30.3% of Bio-Rad Laboratories shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 19.0% of MariMed shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Bio-Rad Laboratories and MariMed, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bio-Rad Laboratories	1	3	1	0	2.00
MariMed	0	2	0	0	2.00

Bio-Rad Laboratories presently has a consensus price target of $303.33, suggesting a potential upside of 5.12%. Given Bio-Rad Laboratories’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Bio-Rad Laboratories is more favorable than MariMed.

Profitability

This table compares Bio-Rad Laboratories and MariMed’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bio-Rad Laboratories	6.52%	3.56%	2.49%
MariMed	-7.82%	-5.00%	-1.29%

Summary

Bio-Rad Laboratories beats MariMed on 12 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bio-Rad Laboratories

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. manufactures and distributes life science research and clinical diagnostic products in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through two segments, Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. The company develops, manufactures, and markets instruments, systems, reagents, and consumables to separate, purify, characterize, and quantitate biological materials such as cells, proteins, and nucleic acids for proteomics, genomics, biopharmaceutical production, cellular biology, and food safety markets. It also designs, manufactures, markets, and supports test systems, informatics systems, test kits, and specialized quality controls for hospitals, diagnostic reference, transfusion, and physician office laboratories. The company offers its products through its direct sales force, as well as through distributors, agents, brokers, and resellers. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Hercules, California.

About MariMed

MariMed Inc. engages in cultivation, production, and dispensing of medicinal and recreational cannabis in the United States and internationally. The company sells flowers and concentrates under the Nature’s Heritage brand; and soft and chewy baked goods and a hot chocolate mix under Bubby’s Baked brand; and drink mix under Vibations brand. It also offers chewable cannabis-infused mint tablet under the brand Kalm Fusion; and flower, vapes, and edibles under InHouse brand. In addition, the company provides supplement, nutrient-infused fruit chews under Betty’s Eddies brand and ice creams under Emack & Bolio’s brand. The company licenses its brands. MariMed Inc. was incorporated in 2011 and is based in Norwood, Massachusetts.