Contrasting Kewaunee Scientific (NASDAQ:KEQU) and Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO)

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) and Kewaunee Scientific (NASDAQ:KEQU) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings and profitability.

Risk and Volatility

Bausch + Lomb has a beta of 0.56, indicating that its share price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kewaunee Scientific has a beta of 0.76, indicating that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

11.1% of Bausch + Lomb shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.7% of Kewaunee Scientific shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of Bausch + Lomb shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 14.1% of Kewaunee Scientific 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.

Profitability

This table compares Bausch + Lomb and Kewaunee Scientific’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bausch + Lomb	-3.21%	4.14%	1.93%
Kewaunee Scientific	2.97%	11.61%	4.82%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Bausch + Lomb and Kewaunee Scientific”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bausch + Lomb	$5.32 billion	1.37	-$360.00 million	($0.48)	-42.45
Kewaunee Scientific	$277.21 million	0.35	$9.62 million	$2.76	12.14

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for Bausch + Lomb and Kewaunee Scientific, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bausch + Lomb	1	7	6	1	2.47
Kewaunee Scientific	0	1	0	0	2.00

Bausch + Lomb presently has a consensus price target of $20.62, indicating a potential upside of 1.17%. Given Bausch + Lomb’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Bausch + Lomb is more favorable than Kewaunee Scientific.

Summary

Kewaunee Scientific beats Bausch + Lomb on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bausch + Lomb

Bausch + Lomb Corporation operates as an eye health company in the United States, Puerto Rico, China, France, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Poland, South Korea, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Vision Care, Pharmaceuticals, and Surgical. The Vision Care segment provides contact lens that covers the spectrum of wearing modalities, including daily disposable and frequently replaced contact lenses; and contact lens care products comprising over-the-counter eye drops, eye vitamins, and mineral supplements that address various conditions, such as eye allergies, conjunctivitis, dry eye, and redness relief. Its Pharmaceuticals segment offers proprietary and generic pharmaceutical products for post-operative treatments, as well as for the treatment of glaucoma, eye inflammation, ocular hypertension, dry eyes, and retinal diseases. The Surgical segment provides medical device equipment, consumables, and technologies for the treatment of cataracts, corneal, vitreous, and retinal eye conditions; and intraocular lenses and delivery systems, phacoemulsification equipment, and other surgical instruments and devices for cataract surgery. The company sells its products and services through direct sales forces and independent distributors. Bausch + Lomb Corporation was founded in 1853 and is headquartered in Vaughan, Canada. Bausch + Lomb Corporation is a subsidiary of Bausch Health Companies Inc.

About Kewaunee Scientific

Kewaunee Scientific Corporation designs, manufactures, and installs laboratory, healthcare, and technical furniture and infrastructure products. The company operates through two segments, Domestic and International. Its products include steel and wood casework, fume hoods, adaptable modular systems, moveable workstations, stand-alone benches, biological safety cabinets, and epoxy resin work surfaces and sinks. The company's laboratory products are used in chemistry, physics, biology, and other general science laboratories in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, industrial, chemical, commercial, educational, government, and health care markets; and technical products are used in facilities manufacturing computers and light electronics and by users of computer and networking furniture. It sells its products primarily through dealers, its subidiaries, and a national distributor. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Statesville, North Carolina.