UFP Technologies (NASDAQ:UFPT – Get Free Report) and Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG – Get Free Report) are both healthcare companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
87.3% of UFP Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.6% of Intuitive Surgical shares are held by institutional investors. 4.6% of UFP Technologies shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Intuitive Surgical shares are held 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.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for UFP Technologies and Intuitive Surgical, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| UFP Technologies | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Intuitive Surgical | 1 | 5 | 23 | 1 | 2.80 |
Intuitive Surgical has a consensus price target of $493.54, indicating a potential upside of 12.57%. Given Intuitive Surgical’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Intuitive Surgical is more favorable than UFP Technologies.
Volatility & Risk
UFP Technologies has a beta of 1.09, indicating that its stock price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Intuitive Surgical has a beta of 1.46, indicating that its stock price is 46% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares UFP Technologies and Intuitive Surgical’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| UFP Technologies | 11.45% | 18.42% | 11.96% |
| Intuitive Surgical | 25.54% | 18.17% | 15.73% |
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares UFP Technologies and Intuitive Surgical”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| UFP Technologies | $631.64 million | 3.46 | $68.31 million | $9.28 | 30.39 |
| Intuitive Surgical | $11.58 billion | 13.13 | $2.86 billion | $8.27 | 53.01 |
Intuitive Surgical has higher revenue and earnings than UFP Technologies. UFP Technologies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Intuitive Surgical, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Intuitive Surgical beats UFP Technologies on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About UFP Technologies
UFP Technologies, Inc. designs and manufactures solutions for medical devices, sterile packaging, and other highly engineered custom products. The company offers protective drapes for robotic surgery, single patient use surfaces, advanced wound care, infection prevention, disposables for surgical and endoscopic procedures, packaging for medical devices, orthopedic implants, biopharma drug manufacturing, and coils for catheters; and molded components for applications in acoustic insulation, interior trim, load floors, sunshades, SUV cargo cover handles, driveshaft damping, engine and manifold covers, quarter panels, and wheel liners. It also provides molded composites for commercial aviation and military gear for use in backpack components, knee and elbow pads, eyewear, and helmets; and reusable cases and custom for applications in military ballistics panels, virtual training systems, drones, communications equipment, and rugged portable computers. In addition, the company provides engineered products and components to customers in the automotive, aerospace and defense, and industrial markets for applications in military uniform and gear components, automotive interior trim, air filtration, and protective cases and inserts. It markets and sells its products through a direct sales force. The company was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
About Intuitive Surgical
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets products that enable physicians and healthcare providers to enhance the quality of and access to minimally invasive care in the United States and internationally. The company offers the da Vinci Surgical System that enables complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach; and Ion endoluminal system, which extends its commercial offerings beyond surgery into diagnostic procedures enabling minimally invasive biopsies in the lung. It also provides a suite of stapling, energy, and core instrumentation for its multi-port da Vinci surgical systems; progressive learning pathways to support the use of its technology; infrastructure of service and support specialists, a complement of services to its customers, including installation, repair, maintenance, 24/7 technical support, and proactive system health monitoring; and integrated digital capabilities providing connected offerings, streamlining performance for hospitals with program-enhancing insights. The company sells its products through direct sales organizations, such as capital and clinical sales teams. It has a collaboration agreement with FluoGuide A/S for head & neck cancer. The company was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Receive News & Ratings for UFP Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for UFP Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
