Contrasting Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) & Star Equity (NASDAQ:STRR)

Star Equity (NASDAQ:STRR) and Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD) are both medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, risk and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Star Equity and Mettler-Toledo International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Star Equity	-14.65%	-5.74%	-3.34%
Mettler-Toledo International	20.95%	-575.61%	24.78%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Star Equity and Mettler-Toledo International”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Star Equity	$47.15 million	0.27	$25.13 million	$6.50	0.62
Mettler-Toledo International	$3.75 billion	7.82	$788.78 million	$35.66	38.53

Mettler-Toledo International has higher revenue and earnings than Star Equity. Star Equity is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mettler-Toledo International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

3.8% of Star Equity shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.1% of Mettler-Toledo International shares are held by institutional investors. 28.8% of Star Equity shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.9% of Mettler-Toledo International shares are held by 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.

Volatility and Risk

Star Equity has a beta of 0.08, indicating that its share price is 92% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Mettler-Toledo International has a beta of 1.14, indicating that its share price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for Star Equity and Mettler-Toledo International, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Star Equity	0	0	0	0	N/A
Mettler-Toledo International	2	5	1	0	1.88

Mettler-Toledo International has a consensus price target of $1,363.75, indicating a potential downside of 0.74%. Given Mettler-Toledo International’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Mettler-Toledo International is more favorable than Star Equity.

Summary

Mettler-Toledo International beats Star Equity on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Star Equity

Star Equity Holdings, Inc. engages in the construction business in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Construction, and Investments. It manufactures modular housing units, structural wall panels, permanent wood foundation systems, and other engineered wood products; supplies general contractors with building materials; holds real estate assets; and manages investments. The company was formerly known as Digirad Corporation and changed its name to Star Equity Holdings, Inc. in December 2020. Star Equity Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.

About Mettler-Toledo International

Mettler-Toledo International Inc. manufactures and supplies precision instruments and services in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It operates through five segments: U.S. Operations, Swiss Operations, Western European Operations, Chinese Operations, and Other. The company’s laboratory instruments include laboratory balances, liquid pipetting solutions, automated laboratory reactors, real-time analytics, titrators, pH meters, process analytics sensors and analyzer technologies, physical value analyzers, density and refractometry, thermal analysis systems, and other analytical instruments; and LabX, a laboratory software platform to manage and analyze data generated from its instruments. Its industrial instruments comprise industrial weighing instruments and related terminals, automatic dimensional measurement and data capture solutions, vehicle scale systems, industrial software, metal detection equipment, x-ray systems, check weighing equipment, camera-based imaging equipment, track-and-trace solutions, and product inspection systems. The company’s retail weighing solutions consist of weighing and software solutions, AI-driven image recognition solution, and automated packaging and labelling solutions for the meat backroom. It serves the life science industry, independent research organizations, and testing labs; food and beverage manufacturers; food retailers; chemical, specialty chemical, and cosmetics companies; food retailers; transportation and logistics, metals, and electronics industries; and the academic community through its direct sales force and indirect distribution channels. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. was incorporated in 1991 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.