Align Technology (NASDAQ:ALGN) versus Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) Head to Head Review

Align Technology (NASDAQ:ALGN) and Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ:MMSI) are both medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Align Technology and Merit Medical Systems”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Align Technology	$4.00 billion	2.55	$421.36 million	$5.93	23.72
Merit Medical Systems	$1.43 billion	3.58	$120.36 million	$1.97	43.97

Align Technology has higher revenue and earnings than Merit Medical Systems. Align Technology is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merit Medical Systems, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Align Technology and Merit Medical Systems, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Align Technology	1	5	8	1	2.60
Merit Medical Systems	0	1	8	0	2.89

Align Technology presently has a consensus target price of $215.00, suggesting a potential upside of 52.84%. Merit Medical Systems has a consensus target price of $107.00, suggesting a potential upside of 23.51%. Given Align Technology’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Align Technology is more favorable than Merit Medical Systems.

Profitability

This table compares Align Technology and Merit Medical Systems’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Align Technology	11.04%	13.36%	8.32%
Merit Medical Systems	8.31%	15.07%	8.60%

Volatility and Risk

Align Technology has a beta of 1.61, suggesting that its stock price is 61% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Merit Medical Systems has a beta of 0.66, suggesting that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

88.4% of Align Technology shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.7% of Merit Medical Systems shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of Align Technology shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.2% of Merit Medical Systems shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

About Align Technology

Align Technology, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets Invisalign clear aligners, and iTero intraoral scanners and services for orthodontists and general practitioner dentists in the United States, Switzerland, and internationally. The company's Clear Aligner segment offers comprehensive products, including Invisalign comprehensive package that addresses the orthodontic needs of younger patients, such as mandibular advancement, compliance indicators, and compensation for tooth eruption; and Invisalign First Phase I and Invisalign First Comprehensive Phase 2 package for younger patients generally between the ages of six and ten years, which is a mixture of primary/baby and permanent teeth. The segment also provides Invisalign moderate, lite and express packages, and Invisalign go and Invisalign Go Plus; retention products, Invisalign training, and adjusting tools used by dental professionals during the course of treatment; and Invisalign Palatal Expander, a 3D printed orthodontic device; and 3D printing solutions. Its Imaging Systems and CAD/CAM Services segment offers iTero intraoral scanning system, a single hardware platform for restorative or orthodontic procedures; restorative software for general practitioner dentists, prosthodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons; and orthodontists software for digital records storage, orthodontic diagnosis, and fabrication of printed models and retainers. This segment also provides Invisalign outcome simulator, a chair-side and cloud-based application for the iTero scanner; Invisalign progress assessment tool; Align Oral Health Suite, a digital interface designed to enhance dental consultations; and TimeLapse technology, which allows doctors or practitioners to compare a patient's historic 3D scans to the present-day scan, as well as subscription software, disposables, rentals, leases, pay per scan, and CAD/CAM software solutions. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

About Merit Medical Systems

Merit Medical Systems, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and markets single-use medical products for interventional, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Cardiovascular and Endoscopy. The company provides micropuncture kits, angiographic needles, sheaths, guide wires, and safety products; peripheral intervention, including angiography, drainage, delivery systems, and embolotherapy products; spine products, such as vertebral augmentation, radiofrequency ablation, and bone biopsy systems; oncology products; and cardiac intervention products, such as access, angiography, electrophysiology and cardiac rhythm management, fluid management, hemodynamic monitoring, hemostasis, and intervention to treat various heart conditions. It also offers custom procedural solutions that include critical care products, disinfection protection systems, syringes, manifold kits, and trays and packs; coating services for medical tubes and wires; and sensor components for microelectromechanical systems. In addition, the company provides pulmonary products that consist of laser-cut tracheobronchial stents, over-the-wire and direct visualization delivery systems, and dilation balloons to endoscopically dilate structures; gastroenterology products, such as covered esophageal stents, syringe and gauges, and balloon dilators; and kits and accessories for endoscopy and bronchoscopy procedures. It sells its products to hospitals and alternate site-based physicians, technicians, and nurses through direct sales force, distributors, original equipment manufacturer partners, or custom procedure tray manufacturers. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in South Jordan, Utah.