Reviewing Integer (NYSE:ITGR) and BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS)

Integer (NYSE:ITGR) and BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ:BLFS) are both medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and profitability.

Volatility and Risk

Integer has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, BioLife Solutions has a beta of 1.92, suggesting that its share price is 92% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

99.3% of Integer shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.2% of BioLife Solutions shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of Integer shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of BioLife Solutions shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Integer and BioLife Solutions, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Integer	0	1	8	0	2.89
BioLife Solutions	0	0	7	0	3.00

Integer presently has a consensus price target of $146.56, indicating a potential upside of 2.64%. BioLife Solutions has a consensus price target of $29.43, indicating a potential upside of 5.93%. Given BioLife Solutions’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe BioLife Solutions is more favorable than Integer.

Profitability

This table compares Integer and BioLife Solutions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Integer	6.70%	11.63%	5.86%
BioLife Solutions	-38.98%	-6.61%	-5.54%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Integer and BioLife Solutions”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Integer	$1.60 billion	3.00	$90.65 million	$3.24	44.07
BioLife Solutions	$143.27 million	9.00	-$66.43 million	($1.06)	-26.21

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

Summary

Integer beats BioLife Solutions on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Integer

Integer Holdings Corporation operates as a medical device outsource manufacturer in the United States, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Medical and Non-Medical. The company offers products for interventional cardiology, structural heart, heart failure, peripheral vascular, neurovascular, interventional oncology, electrophysiology, vascular access, infusion therapy, hemodialysis, non-vascular, urology, and gastroenterology procedures. It also provides cardiac rhythm management products, including implantable pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, insertable cardiac monitors, implantable cardiac pacing and defibrillation leads, and heart failure therapies; neuromodulation products, such as implantable spinal cord stimulators; and non-rechargeable batteries, feedthroughs, device enclosures, machined components, and lead components and sub-assemblies. In addition, the company offers rechargeable batteries and chargers; and arthroscopic, laparoscopic, and general surgery devices and components, such as harmonic scalpels, shaver blades, burr shavers, radio frequency probes, biopsy probes, trocars, electrocautery components, wound dressings, GERD treatment components, and phacoemulsification needles. Further, it provides orthopedic products that include instruments used in hip, knee, and spine surgeries, as well as reamers and chisels. Additionally, the company offers customized battery power and power management systems, and battery solutions for the energy, military, and environmental markets. Furthermore, the company provides medical technologies. It serves multi-national original equipment manufacturers and their affiliated subsidiaries in the cardiac rhythm management, neuromodulation, orthopedics, vascular, and advanced surgical and portable medical markets. Integer Holdings Corporation was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

About BioLife Solutions

BioLife Solutions, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets bioproduction tools and services for the cell and gene therapy (CGT) industry in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. The company’s products are used in the basic and applied research, and commercial manufacturing of biologic-based therapies. It offers proprietary biopreservation media products, including HypoThermosol FRS and CryoStor Freeze Media that are formulated to mitigate preservation-induced, delayed-onset cell damage and death; bioproduction tools, such as human platelet lysates for cell expansion and CellSeal closed system vials that are used in CGT; and the ThawSTAR line that comprises of a family of automated thawing devices for frozen cell and gene therapies packaged in cryovials and cryobags. The company also provides cryogenic freezer technology for controlled rate freezing and cryogenic storage of biologic materials; ultra-low temperature mechanical freezers; evo shipping containers that are cloud-connected passive storage and transport containers for temperature-sensitive biologics and pharmaceuticals; liquid nitrogen laboratory freezers, cryogenic equipment, and accessories; and biological and pharmaceutical storage and transport services. It markets and sells its products directly, as well as through third party distributors. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Bothell, Washington.