Critical Comparison: Nuwellis (NASDAQ:NUWE) & Vivani Medical (NASDAQ:VANI)

Vivani Medical (NASDAQ:VANI) and Nuwellis (NASDAQ:NUWE) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends and risk.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Vivani Medical and Nuwellis’ revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vivani Medical	N/A	N/A	-$25.65 million	($0.50)	-2.50
Nuwellis	$8.86 million	0.43	-$20.21 million	($8.30)	-0.03

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Vivani Medical and Nuwellis, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vivani Medical	0	0	0	0	N/A
Nuwellis	0	1	0	0	2.00

Risk and Volatility

Vivani Medical has a beta of 3.22, suggesting that its share price is 222% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Nuwellis has a beta of 0.49, suggesting that its share price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

6.8% of Vivani Medical shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 3.1% of Nuwellis shares are owned by institutional investors. 55.6% of Vivani Medical shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.6% of Nuwellis shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Vivani Medical and Nuwellis’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vivani Medical	N/A	-93.91%	-47.76%
Nuwellis	-202.97%	-316.90%	-166.33%

Summary

Vivani Medical beats Nuwellis on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Vivani Medical

Vivani Medical, Inc., a clinical stage company, develops various implants that treat chronic diseases with high unmet medical need. It engages in developing a portfolio of miniature drug implants to deliver minimally fluctuating drug profiles; and implantable visual prostheses devices to deliver useful artificial vision to blind individuals. The company is headquartered in Emeryville, California.

About Nuwellis

Nuwellis, Inc., a medical device company, focuses on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing medical devices used in ultrafiltration therapy. The company's products are the Aquadex FlexFlow and Aquadex SmartFlow systems, which are indicated for the treatment of patients suffering from fluid overload who have failed diuretics. Its Aquadex FlexFlow system includes a console, disposable blood circuit set, and disposable catheter. The company sells its products to hospitals and clinics through its direct salesforce in the United States; and through independent specialty distributors primarily in Austria, Brazil, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Panama. Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as CHF Solutions, Inc. and changed its name to Nuwellis, Inc. in April 2021. Nuwellis, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.