Semler Scientific, Inc. SMLR

Competitive advantage analysis · healthcare

Medical Devices & Diagnostics
Overall moat score
70/100
Moderate

About Semler Scientific, Inc.

Semler Scientific, Inc. provides technology solutions to enhance the clinical effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare providers in the United States. The company's products include QuantaFlo, a four-minute in-office blood flow test that enables healthcare providers to use blood flow measurements as part of their examinations of a patient's vascular condition. The company's products serve cardiologists, internists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, podiatrists, family … Full SMLR analysis →

Competitive advantage assessment

Key strengths

  • Elite Gross Margins Gross margin quality is top-tier vs peers (score 0.96). This signals strong consumable attach-rate economics.
  • Superior Capital Returns Capital return quality is top-tier (score 0.84). High ROIC indicates the business is reinvesting at attractive rates.

Key risks

  • Thin Interest Coverage Interest coverage lags peers (score 0.00). Thin coverage limits M&A optionality and raises refinancing risk.
  • Declining FCF Margin FCF trend score is negative (score 0.07). Declining FCF margin warrants scrutiny of capital allocation discipline.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power & Consumable Moat

Strong
89

Where SMLR ranks in Medical Devices

Semler Scientific, Inc. ranks #20 of 160 scored companies in Medical Devices by moat score — the top 12%. The widest moat in the group is iRadimed Corporation (IRMD) at 83/100.

Moat scores for companies ranked near SMLR in Medical Devices
# Company Moat score Rating
16 InMode Ltd. INMD 72/100 Moderate
17 Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. ZBH 72/100 Moderate
18 LivaNova PLC LIVN 72/100 Moderate
19 Delcath Systems, Inc. DCTH 71/100 Moderate
20 Semler Scientific, Inc. SMLR 70/100 Moderate
21 Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc. XTNT 70/100 Moderate
22 TransMedics Group, Inc. TMDX 70/100 Moderate
23 STERIS plc (Ireland) STE 70/100 Moderate
24 Viemed Healthcare, Inc. VMD 69/100 Moderate

See every Medical Devices & Diagnostics company ranked by moat score →

How SMLR scores on the Medical Devices & Diagnostics defenses

Pricing Power & Consumable Moat

Score 89 · 25% of the moat score

In MedTech, pricing power is rarely about the machine — it is about what the machine consumes.

R&D Pipeline & Capital Returns

Score 73 · 20% of the moat score

Research spending is how a device company keeps its installed base current, but spending alone proves nothing.

FCF Quality & Cash Conversion

Score 36 · 20% of the moat score

MedTech companies grow by acquisition, and the resulting intangible amortisation depresses reported earnings without consuming any cash.

Commercial Execution

Score 81 · 15% of the moat score

Devices are sold into hospitals and labs through committees, tenders and long qualification cycles, which makes the sales organisation expensive and hard to replicate.

Capital Structure & Resilience

Score 78 · 12% of the moat score

Serial acquirers carry debt, and the question is whether the cash flows underneath it are dependable enough to service it through a downturn.

Growth Durability

Score 62 · 8% of the moat score

Growth durability separates an expanding installed base from a good product cycle.

How each Medical Devices & Diagnostics defense is measured, in full →

Understanding SMLR's moat

What is Semler Scientific, Inc.'s moat score?

Semler Scientific, Inc. (SMLR) scores 70 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #20 of 160 scored companies in Medical Devices, the top 12%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 159 companies in Medical Devices. Its strongest defense is Pricing Power & Consumable Moat (89/100) and its weakest is FCF Quality & Cash Conversion (36/100).

How does Semler Scientific, Inc. compare with other Medical Devices companies?

Semler Scientific, Inc. ranks #20 of 160 scored companies in Medical Devices by moat score. The widest moat in Medical Devices is iRadimed Corporation (IRMD) at 83/100. The companies ranked closest are Delcath Systems, Inc. (DCTH) at 71 just above it and Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc. (XTNT) at 70 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Medical Devices & Diagnostics in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 159 companies in Medical Devices. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is Semler Scientific, Inc. scored with the Medical Devices & Diagnostics template?

Medical device and diagnostics companies place an instrument once and then sell the consumables, reagents and service that instrument needs for the next decade. The economics are a razor-and-blade model wrapped in regulatory approval and clinician habit, so the MedTech template scores the durability of that installed base rather than the size of any single product launch.

Which competitive defenses are measured for Semler Scientific, Inc.?

The Medical Devices & Diagnostics template measures 6 defenses, and SMLR scores: Pricing Power & Consumable Moat (89), R&D Pipeline & Capital Returns (73), FCF Quality & Cash Conversion (36), Commercial Execution (81), Capital Structure & Resilience (78), Growth Durability (62). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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