Reviewing MariMed (OTC:MRMD) and Cresco Labs (OTCMKTS:CRLBF)

MariMed (OTC:MRMD) and Cresco Labs (OTCMKTS:CRLBF) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, dividends and profitability.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.2% of MariMed shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of Cresco Labs shares are held by institutional investors. 19.0% of MariMed shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

MariMed has a beta of 2.99, meaning that its stock price is 199% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cresco Labs has a beta of 1.47, meaning that its stock price is 47% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares MariMed and Cresco Labs’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MariMed	-8.95%	1.58%	0.53%
Cresco Labs	-9.15%	-16.52%	-4.81%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for MariMed and Cresco Labs, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MariMed	0	0	0	1	4.00
Cresco Labs	0	2	0	2	3.00

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares MariMed and Cresco Labs”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MariMed	$148.60 million	0.18	-$16.03 million	($0.03)	-2.35
Cresco Labs	$770.89 million	0.32	-$175.52 million	($0.24)	-2.06

MariMed has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Cresco Labs. MariMed is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cresco Labs, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

MariMed beats Cresco Labs on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About MariMed

MariMed Inc. engages in cultivation, production, and dispensing of medicinal and recreational cannabis in the United States and internationally. The company sells flowers and concentrates under the Nature’s Heritage brand; and soft and chewy baked goods and a hot chocolate mix under Bubby’s Baked brand; and drink mix under Vibations brand. It also offers chewable cannabis-infused mint tablet under the brand Kalm Fusion; and flower, vapes, and edibles under InHouse brand. In addition, the company provides supplement, nutrient-infused fruit chews under Betty’s Eddies brand and ice creams under Emack & Bolio’s brand. The company licenses its brands. MariMed Inc. was incorporated in 2011 and is based in Norwood, Massachusetts.

About Cresco Labs

Cresco Labs Inc., together with its subsidiaries, cultivates, manufactures, and sells retail and medical cannabis products in the United States. It provides cannabis in flowers, vape pens, live resins, disposable pens, and extracts under the Cresco brand; vape carts, vape pens, flower, popcorn, shake, pre-rolls, shorties, and concentrates under the High Supply brand; vapes and gummies under the Good News brand; vapes and edibles under the Wonder Wellness Co. brand; and tinctures, capsules, salves, and sublingual oils under the Remedi brand. The company also offers cannabis flowers under the FloraCal brand; and chocolate and toffee confections and fruit-forward gummies under the Mindy's Edibles brand, as well as licenses the Kiva brand, which produces cannabis infused edibles, including chocolate confections, gummies, mints, and tarts. In addition, the company offers cannabis-infused edibles under the Sunnyside brand. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.