Head-To-Head Contrast: STRATA Skin Sciences (NASDAQ:SSKN) and Carmell (NASDAQ:CTCX)

Carmell (NASDAQ:CTCX) and STRATA Skin Sciences (NASDAQ:SSKN) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, risk and profitability.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

24.2% of Carmell shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.4% of STRATA Skin Sciences shares are held by institutional investors. 29.0% of Carmell shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 40.4% of STRATA Skin Sciences shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Carmell and STRATA Skin Sciences, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Carmell	0	0	0	0	N/A
STRATA Skin Sciences	0	0	0	0	N/A

STRATA Skin Sciences has a consensus price target of $38.00, indicating a potential upside of 1,037.72%. Given STRATA Skin Sciences’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe STRATA Skin Sciences is more favorable than Carmell.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Carmell and STRATA Skin Sciences’ top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Carmell	N/A	N/A	-$15.44 million	N/A	N/A
STRATA Skin Sciences	$33.36 million	0.35	-$10.83 million	($3.30)	-1.01

STRATA Skin Sciences has higher revenue and earnings than Carmell.

Volatility and Risk

Carmell has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its share price is 60% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, STRATA Skin Sciences has a beta of 1.41, suggesting that its share price is 41% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Carmell and STRATA Skin Sciences’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Carmell	N/A	-171.27%	-22.94%
STRATA Skin Sciences	-34.92%	-65.76%	-19.69%

Summary

STRATA Skin Sciences beats Carmell on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Carmell

Carmell Corporation operates as a bio-aesthetics company. The company utilizes Carmell Secretome to support skin and hair health. Its Carmell Secretome consists of growth factors and proteins extracted from allogeneic human platelets sourced from tissue banks. The company also developed a microemulsion formulation that enables delivery of lipophilic and hydrophilic ingredients without relying on the Foul Fourteen, 14 potentially harmful excipients that are commonly used by other companies to impart texture, stability, and other desirable physicochemical attributes to cosmetic products. In addition, the company is also developing a line of men's products and a line of topical haircare products. It has licensing agreement with Carnegie Mellon University to develop and commercialize biocompatible plasma-based plastics. The company was formerly known as Carmell Therapeutics Corporation and changed its name to Carmell Corporation in November 2023. Carmell Therapeutics Corporation was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

About STRATA Skin Sciences

STRATA Skin Sciences, Inc., a medical technology company, develops, commercializes, and markets products for the treatment of dermatologic conditions in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, South Africa, and Central and South America. The company operates in two segments, Dermatology Recurring Procedures and Dermatology Procedures Equipment. The company products include XTRAC and Pharos excimer lasers, and VTRAC lamp systems for the treatment systems that are used for the treatment of psoriasis, vitiligo, and other skin conditions. It also offers TheraClear Acne Therapy System for the treatment of mild to moderate inflammatory, comedonal, and pustular acne. The company was formerly known as MELA Sciences, Inc and changed its name to STRATA Skin Sciences, Inc. in January 2016. STRATA Skin Sciences, Inc. was incorporated in 1989 and is based in Horsham, Pennsylvania.