Merit's disposable devices -- wires, catheters, and inflation devices used in procedures like angioplasty, or the widening of blocked heart arteries -- aren't exactly name-brand products. But they're critical components of a doctor's toolkit in an area of health care where demand doesn't wane with the economic downturn.
That's why Merit, which commands about 50% of the worldwide market for such inflating devices, looks so compelling these days. "Orthopedic procedures, cosmetic procedures, for whatever reason, will be delayed. But you can't delay a heart attack, and you can't delay a cardiac procedure," says James Terwilliger of Duncan-Williams, who is projecting double-digit revenue and earnings growth for Merit in 2009 and 2010.
--E.L.
