Henry Schein (HSIC) and Cantel Medical Corp. (NYSE:CMD) Financial Review

Henry Schein (NASDAQ: HSIC) and Cantel Medical Corp. (NYSE:CMD) are both mid-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership and profitability.

Dividends

Cantel Medical Corp. pays an annual dividend of $0.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Henry Schein does not pay a dividend. Cantel Medical Corp. pays out 8.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Volatility and Risk

Henry Schein has a beta of 1.09, suggesting that its stock price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cantel Medical Corp. has a beta of 1.23, suggesting that its stock price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Henry Schein and Cantel Medical Corp.’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	EBITDA	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Henry Schein	$11.97 billion	1.13	$1.02 billion	$6.83	24.98
Cantel Medical Corp.	$741.62 million	4.13	$141.91 million	$1.69	43.66

Henry Schein has higher revenue and earnings than Cantel Medical Corp.. Henry Schein is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cantel Medical Corp., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

90.9% of Henry Schein shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.9% of Cantel Medical Corp. shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.3% of Henry Schein shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 14.9% of Cantel Medical Corp. shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Henry Schein and Cantel Medical Corp.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Henry Schein	4.59%	19.91%	8.34%
Cantel Medical Corp.	9.50%	17.75%	11.32%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Henry Schein and Cantel Medical Corp., as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Henry Schein	0	9	6	0	2.40
Cantel Medical Corp.	0	3	1	0	2.25

Henry Schein currently has a consensus price target of $184.07, indicating a potential upside of 7.91%. Cantel Medical Corp. has a consensus price target of $96.00, indicating a potential upside of 30.10%. Given Cantel Medical Corp.’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Cantel Medical Corp. is more favorable than Henry Schein.

About Henry Schein

Henry Schein, Inc. is a provider of healthcare products and services primarily to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners. The Company operates through two segments: healthcare distribution, and technology and value-added services. The healthcare distribution segment distributes consumable products, small equipment, laboratory products, large equipment, equipment repair services, branded and generic pharmaceuticals, vaccines, surgical products, diagnostic tests, infection-control products and vitamins. The technology and value-added services segment provides software, technology and other value-added services to healthcare practitioners. Its technology group offerings include practice management software systems for dental and medical practitioners and animal health clinics. The Company provides its services to dental practitioners and laboratories, animal health clinics and physician practices, as well as government and institutional healthcare clinics.

About Cantel Medical Corp.

Cantel Medical Corp. is a provider of infection prevention products and services in the healthcare market. The Company’s operating segments include Endoscopy; Water Purification and Filtration; Healthcare Disposables, and Dialysis. Its Endoscopy segment includes medical device reprocessing systems, disinfectants, detergents and other supplies. The Company’s Water Purification and Filtration segment includes water purification equipment and services, filtration and separation products, and disinfectant, sterilization and decontamination products and services. Its Healthcare Disposables segment includes single-use, infection prevention and control healthcare products. The Company’s Dialysis segment includes medical device reprocessing systems, sterilants/disinfectants, dialysate concentrates and other supplies for renal dialysis. The Company offers a range of filters utilizing hollow fiber membrane technology.