Comparing PositiveID (OTCMKTS:PSID) and AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC)

AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC) and PositiveID (OTCMKTS:PSID) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for AtriCure and PositiveID, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AtriCure	1	0	10	0	2.82
PositiveID	0	0	0	0	0.00

AtriCure presently has a consensus price target of $52.22, indicating a potential upside of 63.73%. Given AtriCure’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe AtriCure is more favorable than PositiveID.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares AtriCure and PositiveID”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
AtriCure	$518.31 million	3.06	-$44.70 million	($0.61)	-52.29
PositiveID	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

PositiveID has lower revenue, but higher earnings than AtriCure.

Profitability

This table compares AtriCure and PositiveID’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AtriCure	-5.55%	-2.56%	-1.95%
PositiveID	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

99.1% of AtriCure shares are held by institutional investors. 3.5% of AtriCure shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 48.4% of PositiveID shares are held by company 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.

Summary

AtriCure beats PositiveID on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About AtriCure

AtriCure, Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells devices for surgical ablation of cardiac tissue, exclusion of the left atrial appendage, and temporarily blocking pain by ablating peripheral nerves to medical centers in the United States, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and internationally. The company offers Isolator Synergy Clamps, single-use disposable radio frequency products; multifunctional pens and linear ablation devices, such as the MAX Pen device that enables surgeons to evaluate cardiac arrhythmias, perform temporary cardiac pacing, sensing, and stimulation, and ablate cardiac tissue with the same device; and the Coolrail device, which enables users to make longer linear lines of ablation. It also provides cryoICE Cryoablation System that enables the user to make linear ablations of varied lengths; EPi-Sense Systems, a single-use disposable device used for the treatment of symptomatic, drug-refractory, and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation; cryoSPHERE probe, which provides temporary pain relief by applying cryothermic energy to targeted intercoastal peripheral nerves in the ribcage; AtriClip System, an implantable device coupled to a single-use disposable applier; and LARIAT System, a suture-based solution for soft-tissue closure. In addition, the company sells Lumitip dissectors to separate tissues to provide access to key anatomical structures that are targeted for ablation; Glidepath guides for placement of clamps; Subtle Cannula's to support access for EPi-Sense catheters; and various reusable cardiac surgery instruments. It markets and sells its products through independent distributors and direct sales personnel. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Mason, Ohio.

About PositiveID

PositiveID Corporation, a life sciences and technology company, develops and sells molecular diagnostic systems for bio-threat detection and medical testing in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Molecular Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Mobile Labs. The company develops microfluidic systems for the automated preparation and performance of biological assays to detect biological threats and analyze biological samples at the point of need. It has a portfolio of intellectual property related to sample preparation and rapid medical testing applications. The company's microfluidic bio-agent autonomous networked detector (M-BAND) technology is a bio-aerosol monitor with integrated systems for sample collection, processing, and detection modules. Its M-BAND technology analyzes air samples for the detection of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and toxins for up to 30 days. The company's FireflyDX is an automated pathogen detection system for rapid diagnostics for clinical and point-of-need applications. Its FireflyDX system detects and identifies common pathogens and diseases, such as E. coli, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-susceptible staphylococcus aureus, clostridium difficile, Zika virus, Ebola virus, influenza, and others. In addition, PositiveID Corporation markets Caregiver, a non-contact clinical thermometer that measures forehead temperature in adults, children, and infants for hospitals, physicians' offices, medical clinics, nursing homes and other long-term care institutions, and acute care hospitals; and manufactures and sells specialty technology vehicles for mobile laboratory, command and communications applications, and mobile cellular systems. The company was formerly known as VeriChip Corporation and changed its name to PositiveID Corporation in November 2009. PositiveID Corporation was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida.