Comparing MariMed (OTCMKTS:MRMD) and Natural Alternatives International (NASDAQ:NAII)

MariMed (OTCMKTS:MRMD – Get Rating) and Natural Alternatives International (NASDAQ:NAII – Get Rating) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares MariMed and Natural Alternatives International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MariMed	5.70%	20.87%	6.07%
Natural Alternatives International	6.49%	12.65%	8.20%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for MariMed and Natural Alternatives International, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MariMed	0	0	2	0	3.00
Natural Alternatives International	0	0	0	0	N/A

MariMed presently has a consensus target price of $2.25, indicating a potential upside of 333.53%. Given MariMed’s higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe MariMed is more favorable than Natural Alternatives International.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares MariMed and Natural Alternatives International’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MariMed	$121.46 million	1.45	$7.22 million	$0.02	25.96
Natural Alternatives International	$178.52 million	0.35	$10.77 million	$1.69	6.02

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

Insider & Institutional Ownership

0.3% of MariMed shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 28.5% of Natural Alternatives International shares are owned by institutional investors. 18.7% of Natural Alternatives International shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

MariMed has a beta of 3.24, suggesting that its share price is 224% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Natural Alternatives International has a beta of 0.9, suggesting that its share price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Natural Alternatives International beats MariMed on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About MariMed (Get Rating)

MariMed Inc. engages in cultivation, production, and dispensing of medicinal and recreational cannabis in the United States and internationally. The company offers cannabis genetics produce flowers and concentrates under the Nature's Heritage brand; cannabis-infused products in the form of chewable tablets and powder drink mixes under the brand Kalm Fusion; natural fruit chews under the Betty's Eddies brand; brownies, cookies, and other social sweets under the Bubby's Baked brand; and cannabidiol formulations under the Florance brand. It also licenses its brands and product formulations, as well as leases cannabis facilities. MariMed Inc. was incorporated in 2011 and is based in Norwood, Massachusetts.

About Natural Alternatives International (Get Rating)

Natural Alternatives International, Inc. engages in formulating, manufacturing, and marketing nutritional supplements in the United States, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Private-Label Contract Manufacturing, and Patent and Trademark Licensing. It offers private-label contract manufacturing services to companies that market and distribute vitamins, minerals, herbal, and other nutritional supplements, as well as other health care products. The company also provides strategic partnering services, such as customized product formulation, clinical studies, manufacturing, marketing support, international regulatory and label law compliance, international product registration, packaging in multiple formats and labeling design, scientific research, proprietary ingredients, customer-specific nutritional product formulation, product testing and evaluation, packaging and delivery system design, and regulatory review. In addition, it sells beta-alanine ingredient under the CarnoSyn and SR CarnoSyn names. The company manufactures products in various forms, including capsules, tablets, chewable wafers, and powders. Its private-label contract manufacturing customers include companies that market nutritional supplements through direct sales marketing channels, direct to consumer e-commerce channels, and retail stores. Natural Alternatives International, Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California.

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