Head to Head Review: ClearPoint Neuro (NASDAQ:CLPT) and Milestone Scientific (NYSE:MLSS)

ClearPoint Neuro (NASDAQ:CLPT) and Milestone Scientific (NYSE:MLSS) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Volatility and Risk

ClearPoint Neuro has a beta of 1.29, suggesting that its stock price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Milestone Scientific has a beta of 1.13, suggesting that its stock price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares ClearPoint Neuro and Milestone Scientific’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ClearPoint Neuro	-81.76%	-188.09%	-40.88%
Milestone Scientific	-52.01%	-60.26%	-40.23%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

30.1% of ClearPoint Neuro shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 5.8% of Milestone Scientific shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.9% of ClearPoint Neuro shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 9.2% of Milestone Scientific shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares ClearPoint Neuro and Milestone Scientific”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ClearPoint Neuro	$36.97 million	8.99	-$25.54 million	($1.18)	-9.24
Milestone Scientific	$9.42 million	3.64	-$6.93 million	($0.04)	-9.45

Milestone Scientific has lower revenue, but higher earnings than ClearPoint Neuro. Milestone Scientific is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ClearPoint Neuro, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for ClearPoint Neuro and Milestone Scientific, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ClearPoint Neuro	1	0	2	0	2.33
Milestone Scientific	0	0	1	0	3.00

ClearPoint Neuro presently has a consensus price target of $25.67, indicating a potential upside of 135.47%. Milestone Scientific has a consensus price target of $1.00, indicating a potential upside of 164.55%. Given Milestone Scientific’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Milestone Scientific is more favorable than ClearPoint Neuro.

Summary

Milestone Scientific beats ClearPoint Neuro on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About ClearPoint Neuro

ClearPoint Neuro, Inc. operates as a medical device company primarily in the United States. It develops and commercializes platforms for performing minimally invasive surgical procedures in the brain under magnetic resonance imaging guided interventions. The company offers ClearPoint system, an integrated system for the insertion of deep brain stimulation electrodes, biopsy needles, and laser catheters, as well as the infusion of pharmaceuticals into the brain. It has license and collaboration agreement with Clinical Laserthermia Systems AB; license and research agreement with Koninklijke Philips N.V., UCB Biopharma SRL, and University of California and San Francisco; and development and license agreement with NE Scientific, LLC. The company was formerly known as MRI Interventions, Inc. and changed its name to ClearPoint Neuro, Inc. in February 2020. ClearPoint Neuro, Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Solana Beach, California.

About Milestone Scientific

Milestone Scientific Inc., a biomedical technology research and development company, patents, designs, develops, and commercializes diagnostic and therapeutic injection technologies, and devices for medical, dental, and cosmetic use in the United States, China, and internationally. The company operates through Dental and Medical segments. Its products include CompuDent and STA Single Tooth Anesthesia System that are used for all dental procedures that require local anesthetic. In addition, the company offers CompuFlo, a computer-controlled drug delivery system for the painless delivery of drugs, anesthetics, and other medicaments, as well as for the aspiration of bodily fluids or previously injected substances, and disposable injection handpiece for the tactile control during the injection. Further, it provides CompuFlo Epidural, a computer-controlled anesthesia system for use in various medical applications. Additionally, the company offers company offers CompuMed for use in various medical procedures performed in plastic, hair restoration, and colorectal surgery, as well as podiatry, dermatology, orthopedics, and various other disciplines. Milestone Scientific Inc. was incorporated in 1989 and is headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey.