Reviewing Pathfinder Cell Therapy (OTCMKTS:PFND) and STERIS (NYSE:STE)

STERIS (NYSE:STE) and Pathfinder Cell Therapy (OTCMKTS:PFND) are both medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability, risk and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

94.7% of STERIS shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of STERIS shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 15.1% of Pathfinder Cell Therapy shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for STERIS and Pathfinder Cell Therapy, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
STERIS	0	1	4	0	2.80
Pathfinder Cell Therapy	0	0	0	0	0.00

STERIS currently has a consensus target price of $258.75, indicating a potential upside of 16.04%. Given STERIS’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe STERIS is more favorable than Pathfinder Cell Therapy.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares STERIS and Pathfinder Cell Therapy”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
STERIS	$5.40 billion	4.06	$378.24 million	$4.71	47.34
Pathfinder Cell Therapy	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

STERIS has higher revenue and earnings than Pathfinder Cell Therapy.

Profitability

This table compares STERIS and Pathfinder Cell Therapy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
STERIS	8.66%	13.91%	8.64%
Pathfinder Cell Therapy	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

STERIS beats Pathfinder Cell Therapy on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About STERIS

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services. It also provides capital equipment installation, maintenance, upgradation, repair, and troubleshooting services; preventive maintenance programs and repair services; instrument and endoscope repair and maintenance services; and custom process improvement consulting and outsourced instrument sterile processing services. The Applied Sterilization Technologies segment provides contract sterilization and testing services for medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers through a network of approximately 50 contract sterilization and laboratory facilities. The Life Sciences segment designs, manufactures and sells consumable products, such as formulated cleaning chemistries, barrier, sterility assurance products, steam and vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilizers, and washer disinfectors. This segment also offers equipment installation, maintenance, upgradation, repair, and troubleshooting services; and preventive maintenance programs and repair services. The Dental segment provides hand and electric-powered dental instruments, infection control products, conscious sedation, personal protective equipment, and water quality products for dental suite. The company serves its products and services to hospitals, other healthcare providers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in Dublin, Ireland.

About Pathfinder Cell Therapy

Pathfinder Cell Therapy, Inc., a development stage regenerative medicine company, focuses on developing novel cell-derived and related therapies for the treatment of various diseases and medical conditions characterized by organ-specific cell damage. It identifies diabetes, renal disease, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, and other diseases as potential indications for therapies based on its technology. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.