Head to Head Comparison: Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) & Artivion (NYSE:AORT)

Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) and Artivion (NYSE:AORT) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, dividends, earnings, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Risk & Volatility

Boston Scientific has a beta of 0.78, indicating that its stock price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Artivion has a beta of 1.75, indicating that its stock price is 75% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Boston Scientific and Artivion’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Boston Scientific	$14.24 billion	8.00	$1.59 billion	$1.19	65.29
Artivion	$368.21 million	3.09	-$30.69 million	($0.24)	-113.71

Boston Scientific has higher revenue and earnings than Artivion. Artivion is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Boston Scientific, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Boston Scientific and Artivion’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Boston Scientific	12.06%	16.39%	9.08%
Artivion	-2.61%	3.64%	1.32%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

89.1% of Boston Scientific shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.4% of Artivion shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Boston Scientific shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 8.1% of Artivion shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Boston Scientific and Artivion, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Boston Scientific	0	2	18	1	2.95
Artivion	0	0	3	0	3.00

Boston Scientific currently has a consensus target price of $78.29, indicating a potential upside of 0.77%. Artivion has a consensus target price of $28.33, indicating a potential upside of 3.82%. Given Artivion’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Artivion is more favorable than Boston Scientific.

Summary

Boston Scientific beats Artivion on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in various interventional medical specialties worldwide. It operates through two segments, MedSurg and Cardiovascular. The company offers devices to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal and pulmonary conditions, such as resolution clips, biliary stent systems, stents and electrocautery enhanced delivery systems, direct visualization systems, digital catheters, and single-use duodenoscopes; devices to treat urological conditions, including ureteral stents, catheters, baskets, guidewires, sheaths, balloons, single-use digital flexible ureteroscopes, holmium laser systems, artificial urinary sphincter, laser system, fiber, and hydrogel systems; and devices to treat neurological movement disorders and manage chronic pain, such as spinal cord stimulator system, proprietary programming software, radiofrequency generator, indirect decompression systems, practice optimization tools, and deep brain stimulation system. It also provides technologies for diagnosing and treating coronary artery disease and aortic valve conditions; WATCHMAN FLX, a Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device; and implantable devices that monitor the heart and deliver electricity to treat cardiac abnormalities, such as cardioverter and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators, MRI S-ICD systems, cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers, quadripolar LV leads, ICD leads, pacing leads, remote patient management systems, insertable cardiac monitor systems, and remote cardiac monitoring systems. In addition, the company offers diagnosis and treatment of rate and rhythm disorders of the heart; peripheral arterial and venous diseases; and products to diagnose, treat and ease forms of cancer. The company was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

About Artivion

Artivion, Inc. manufactures, processes, and distributes medical devices and implantable human tissues worldwide. The company provides BioGlue, a polymer consisting of bovine blood protein and an agent for cross-linking proteins for cardiac, vascular, neurologic, and pulmonary procedures; cardiac preservation services; PhotoFix, a bovine pericardial patch; and aortic arch stent grafts including E-vita Open Plus and E-vita Open Neo. It offers E-xtra design engineering systems for the treatment of aortic vascular diseases; E-nside, an off-the-shelf stent graft for the treatment of thoraco-abdominal disease; E-vita THORACIC 3G for the endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms; E-ventus BX, a balloon-expandable peripheral stent graft for the endovascular treatment of renal and pelvic arteries; E-liac to treat aneurysmal iliac arteries, and aneurysmal iliac side branches; and E-tegra, a stent graft system for the treatment of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. In addition, the company offers synthetic vascular grafts for use in open aortic and peripheral vascular surgical procedures; PerClot, an absorbable powdered hemostat for use in surgical procedures; cardiac laser therapy products for angina treatment; CryoVein femoral vein and CryoArtery femoral artery vascular preservation services; On-X prosthetic aortic and mitral heart valves and the On-X ascending aortic prosthesis; CarbonAid CO2 diffusion catheters and Chord-X ePTFE sutures for mitral chordal replacement; and ascyrus medical dissection stents, as well as pyrolytic carbon coating services to medical device manufacturers. It serves physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, as well as cardiac, vascular, thoracic, and general surgeons. The company was formerly known as CryoLife, Inc. and changed its name to Artivion, Inc. in January 2022. Artivion, Inc. was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Kennesaw, Georgia.