Reviewing Biostage (OTCMKTS:BSTG) & MariMed (OTCMKTS:MRMD)

Biostage (OTCMKTS:BSTG) and MariMed (OTCMKTS:MRMD) are both small-cap healthcare companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

0.2% of MariMed shares are owned by institutional investors. 15.3% of Biostage shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 17.3% of MariMed shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

Biostage has a beta of -1.02, suggesting that its share price is 202% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MariMed has a beta of 1.33, suggesting that its share price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Biostage and MariMed, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Biostage	0	0	1	0	3.00
MariMed	0	2	0	0	2.00

Profitability

This table compares Biostage and MariMed’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Biostage	N/A	N/A	-174.43%
MariMed	-7.82%	-5.00%	-1.29%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Biostage and MariMed”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Biostage	N/A	N/A	-$6.07 million	($0.58)	-7.67
MariMed	$159.83 million	0.16	-$14.48 million	($0.03)	-2.11

Biostage has higher earnings, but lower revenue than MariMed. Biostage is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than MariMed, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

MariMed beats Biostage on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Biostage

Biostage, Inc., a biotechnology company, offers products to cure patients of cancers, injuries, and birth defects of the gastro-intestinal tract and the airways. The company's pipeline includes organ-regeneration technology for the repair or replacement of diseased or damaged organs, as well as product candidates to treat cancer, injury, and birth defects of the bronchus. Its lead product candidate is Biostage Esophageal Implant for the treatment of severe esophageal disease. The company was formerly known as Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology, Inc. and changed its name to Biostage, Inc. in March 2016. Biostage, Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Holliston, Massachusetts.

About MariMed

MariMed Inc. engages in cultivation, production, and dispensing of medicinal and recreational cannabis in the United States and internationally. The company sells flowers and concentrates under the Nature’s Heritage brand; and soft and chewy baked goods and a hot chocolate mix under Bubby’s Baked brand; and drink mix under Vibations brand. It also offers chewable cannabis-infused mint tablet under the brand Kalm Fusion; and flower, vapes, and edibles under InHouse brand. In addition, the company provides supplement, nutrient-infused fruit chews under Betty’s Eddies brand and ice creams under Emack & Bolio’s brand. The company licenses its brands. MariMed Inc. was incorporated in 2011 and is based in Norwood, Massachusetts.