Comparing Bausch Health Cos (NYSE:BHC) & Acura Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:ACUR)

Bausch Health Cos (NYSE:BHC) and Acura Pharmaceuticals (OTCMKTS:ACUR) are both medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability and dividends.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

78.7% of Bausch Health Cos shares are held by institutional investors. 8.1% of Bausch Health Cos shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 20.2% of Acura Pharmaceuticals shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Bausch Health Cos and Acura Pharmaceuticals”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bausch Health Cos	$9.63 billion	0.22	-$46.00 million	$0.26	22.19
Acura Pharmaceuticals	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Acura Pharmaceuticals has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Bausch Health Cos.

Risk and Volatility

Bausch Health Cos has a beta of 0.41, suggesting that its stock price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Acura Pharmaceuticals has a beta of -2.23, suggesting that its stock price is 323% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Bausch Health Cos and Acura Pharmaceuticals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bausch Health Cos	0.99%	-852.36%	5.25%
Acura Pharmaceuticals	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Bausch Health Cos and Acura Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bausch Health Cos	0	3	0	0	2.00
Acura Pharmaceuticals	0	0	0	0	0.00

Bausch Health Cos currently has a consensus target price of $9.00, suggesting a potential upside of 55.98%. Given Bausch Health Cos’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Bausch Health Cos is more favorable than Acura Pharmaceuticals.

Summary

Bausch Health Cos beats Acura Pharmaceuticals on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bausch Health Cos

Bausch Health Companies Inc. operates as a diversified specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company in the United States and internationally. It develops, manufactures, and markets a range of products primarily in gastroenterology, hepatology, neurology, dermatology, international pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter (OTC) products, aesthetic medical devices, and eye health. The company operates through five segments: Salix, International, Solta Medical, Diversified, and Bausch + Lomb. The Salix segment provides gastroenterology products in the United States. The International segment sells aesthetic medical devices, branded pharmaceuticals, generic pharmaceuticals, and OTC products internationally. The Solta Medical segment engages in the sale of aesthetic medical devices. The Diversified segment offers pharmaceutical products in the areas of neurology and certain other therapeutic classes; generic products; ortho dermatologic; and dentistry products in the United States. The Bausch + Lomb segment offers products in the areas of vision care, surgical, and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals products. The company was formerly known as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. and changed its name to Bausch Health Companies Inc. in July 2018. Bausch Health Companies Inc. is headquartered in Laval, Canada.

About Acura Pharmaceuticals

Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an innovative drug delivery company, engages in the research, development, and commercialization of technologies and products to address safe use of medications in the United States. It offers Oxaydo tablets, a Schedule II narcotic indicated for the management of acute and chronic moderate to severe pain; and Nexafed products, which are pseudoephedrine and acetaminophen tablets that are used as nasal decongestants in various non-prescription and prescription cold, sinus, and allergy products. Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has collaboration and license agreements with Egalet US, Inc. and Egalet Ltd. to manufacture and commercialize Oxaydo products worldwide; and development and commercialization agreement with Abuse Deterrent Pharma, LLC to develop LTX-03, an immediate-release tablets utilizing LIMITx technology. The company was formerly known as Halsey Drug Co., Inc. The company was incorporated in 1935 and is based in Palatine, Illinois. Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Abuse Deterrent Pharma, LLC.