Critical Contrast: Cross Country Healthcare (NASDAQ:CCRN) and NMC Health (OTCMKTS:NMHLY)

Cross Country Healthcare (NASDAQ:CCRN) and NMC Health (OTCMKTS:NMHLY) are both business services companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership and dividends.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

96.0% of Cross Country Healthcare shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.9% of Cross Country Healthcare 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.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Cross Country Healthcare and NMC Health’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cross Country Healthcare	$2.02 billion	0.29	$72.63 million	$1.30	12.82
NMC Health	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Cross Country Healthcare has higher revenue and earnings than NMC Health.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Cross Country Healthcare and NMC Health, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cross Country Healthcare	0	5	3	0	2.38
NMC Health	0	0	0	0	N/A

Cross Country Healthcare currently has a consensus price target of $21.33, indicating a potential upside of 27.97%. Given Cross Country Healthcare’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Cross Country Healthcare is more favorable than NMC Health.

Risk & Volatility

Cross Country Healthcare has a beta of 0.77, suggesting that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, NMC Health has a beta of -5.26, suggesting that its share price is 626% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Cross Country Healthcare and NMC Health’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cross Country Healthcare	2.58%	11.67%	7.64%
NMC Health	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Cross Country Healthcare beats NMC Health on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Cross Country Healthcare

Cross Country Healthcare, Inc. provides talent management and other consultative services for healthcare clients in the United States. The company's Nurse and Allied Staffing segment provides traditional staffing, recruiting, and value-added total talent solutions, including temporary and permanent placement of travel and local nurse and, allied professionals; temporary placement of healthcare leaders within nursing, allied, physician, and human resources; vendor neutral and managed services programs; education healthcare services; in-home care services; and outsourcing services. It also offers staffing solutions for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nurse assistants, practitioners, pharmacists, and other allied professionals on per diem and short-term assignments; and clinical and non-clinical professionals on long-term contract assignments, as well as workforce solutions, including MSP, VMS, in- home care, education healthcare, RPO, project management, and other outsourcing and consultative services. This segment provides retained search services for healthcare professionals, as well as contingent search and recruitment process outsourcing services. It serves public and private acute care and non-acute care hospitals, government facilities, local and national healthcare plans, managed care providers, public and charter schools, outpatient clinics, ambulatory care facilities, physician practice groups, and other healthcare providers under the Cross Country brand. Its Physician Staffing segment provides physicians in various specialties, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants under the Cross Country Locums brand on temporary assignments. It serves various healthcare facilities, such as acute and non-acute care facilities, medical group practices, government facilities, and managed care organizations. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.

About NMC Health

NMC Health plc provides healthcare services in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Spain, and internationally. The company owns and manages healthcare facilities, including hospitals, medical centers, long term care facilities, day surgery centers, fertility clinics, and home health services providers. The company offers medical services comprising diagnostic, and in and outpatient services, as well as research and medical services in the field of gynecology, obstetrics, and human reproduction; and management services in respect of hospitals, as well as retails pharmaceutical goods. NMC Health plc was founded in 1974 and is based in London, United Kingdom.