Comparing LeMaitre Vascular (NASDAQ:LMAT) and InspireMD (NYSE:NSPR)

LeMaitre Vascular (NASDAQ:LMAT) and InspireMD (NYSE:NSPR) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Volatility and Risk

LeMaitre Vascular has a beta of 0.88, indicating that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, InspireMD has a beta of 0.92, indicating that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares LeMaitre Vascular and InspireMD’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LeMaitre Vascular	$199.89 million	8.99	$30.10 million	$1.51	52.99
InspireMD	$6.48 million	9.35	-$19.92 million	($0.76)	-3.20

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

Profitability

This table compares LeMaitre Vascular and InspireMD’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LeMaitre Vascular	16.99%	11.57%	10.02%
InspireMD	-350.35%	-55.12%	-46.95%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for LeMaitre Vascular and InspireMD, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LeMaitre Vascular	0	2	5	0	2.71
InspireMD	0	0	1	0	3.00

LeMaitre Vascular presently has a consensus price target of $73.83, suggesting a potential downside of 7.73%. InspireMD has a consensus price target of $4.85, suggesting a potential upside of 99.68%. Given InspireMD’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe InspireMD is more favorable than LeMaitre Vascular.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

84.6% of LeMaitre Vascular shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 44.8% of InspireMD shares are owned by institutional investors. 10.8% of LeMaitre Vascular shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 29.7% of InspireMD shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

LeMaitre Vascular beats InspireMD on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About LeMaitre Vascular

LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices and implants used in the field of vascular surgery worldwide. It offers human cadaver tissue cryopreservation services; angioscope, a fiberoptic catheter used for viewing the lumen of a blood vessel; embolectomy catheters to remove blood clots from arteries; thrombectomy catheters for removing thrombi in the venous system; occlusion catheters that temporarily occlude the blood flow; and perfusion catheters to perfuse the blood and other fluids into the vasculature. The company also provides artegraft biologic graft, a bovine carotid artery used for dialysis access; XenoSure biologic patches, used for closure of vessels after surgical intervention; VascuCel and CardioCel biologic patches, used in vessel repair, heart repair and reconstruction, and neonatal repairs; cardiovascular patches; carotid shunts that temporarily shunt the blood to the brain during the removal of plaque in a carotid endarterectomy surgery; biosynthetic vascular graft indicated for lower extremity bypass and dialysis access; and vascular grafts used to bypass or replace diseased arteries. In addition, it offers radiopaque tape, a medical-grade tape applied to the skin that enables surgeons and interventionalists to cross-refer between the inside and the outside of a patient's body and allows them to locate tributaries or lesions beneath the skin. Further, the company provides valvulotomes, which cut or disrupt valves in the saphenous vein to function as an artery to carry blood past diseased arteries to the lower leg or the foot; and closure systems to attach vessels to one another with titanium clips instead of sutures. It markets its products through a direct sales force and distributors. The company was formerly known as Vascutech, Inc. and changed its name to LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. in April 2001. LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts.

About InspireMD

InspireMD, Inc., a medical device company, focuses on the development and commercialization of MicroNet stent platform technology for the treatment of vascular and coronary diseases in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. The company offers CGuard carotid embolic prevention system (EPS) for use in carotid artery applications; CGuard Prime Stent System, a mesh-covered self-expanding carotid stent; and SwitchGuard NPS, a non-invasive transcarotid artery revascularization device; as well as treating acute stroke with tandem lesions. InspireMD, Inc. has a strategic agreement with Jacobs Institute to execute an early feasibility study of CGuard Prime for the treatment of acute stroke patients with tandem lesions. The company sells its products through local distribution partners. InspireMD, Inc. was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.