Azenta (AZTA) vs STAAR Surgical (STAA)
Head-to-head comparison of performance, valuation, growth, profitability and dividends. Prices delayed 15 minutes; data as of Oct 8, 2026.
Summary
Azenta (AZTA) has outperformed STAAR Surgical (STAA) over the past year, gaining 16.8% versus a loss of 16.3%. Over five years, AZTA leads with a -65.3% price change compared with -80.5% for STAA. Azenta is the larger company by market cap ($1.54 billion vs $1.11 billion), about 1.4 times the size.
On valuation, STAAR Surgical trades at a lower forward P/E (19.9x vs 63.8x for Azenta).
Summary generated from market data by MetaCap's automated system. Methodology
Relative performance
Percent change in share price from the first common trading day shown; excludes dividends.
Head-to-head
| Metric | AZTA | STAA |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $35.26 | $22.09 |
| Market cap | $1.54B | $1.11B |
| 1-day change | -1.76% | -1.21% |
| YTD return | +7.91% | -3.16% |
| 1-year return | +16.79% | -16.32% |
| 5-year return | -65.31% | -80.54% |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | — | 276.13 |
| Forward P/E | 63.82 | 19.88 |
| EPS (TTM) | $-2.47 | $0.08 |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Annual dividend | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 52-week high | $46.41 | $35.87 |
| 52-week low | $15.93 | $15.59 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -24.02% | -38.42% |
| Analyst consensus | buy | buy |
| Avg. price target upside | +4.93% | +26.75% |
| Average volume | 865.89K | 998.64K |
| Shares outstanding | 43.81M | 50.14M |
| Employees | 2,900 | 921 |
| Sector | Technology | Health Care |
| Industry | Industrial Machinery/Components | Ophthalmic Goods |
Highlighted cells mark the higher value for growth, returns, margins and yield, and the lower value for P/E ratios. Highlighting is a mechanical comparison, not a recommendation.
Key differences
- AZTA has outperformed STAA by 33.1 percentage points over the past year.
- The two companies sit in different sectors: Azenta in Technology and STAAR Surgical in Health Care.
About Azenta
AZTA stock →Azenta, Inc. provides biological and chemical compound sample exploration and management solutions for the life sciences industry in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally.
Technology · Industrial Machinery/Components · 2,900 employees
About STAAR Surgical
STAA stock →STAAR Surgical Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells phakic implantable lenses for the eye and accessory delivery systems to deliver the lenses into the eye. The company offers implantable collamer lens product family (ICLs) comprising EVO ICL, EVO+ ICL, EVO Visian ICL, and EVO Viva ICL for use in refractive surgery for the treatment of visual disorders, such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia.
Health Care · Ophthalmic Goods · 921 employees
AZTA vs STAA FAQ
Which is bigger, Azenta or STAAR Surgical?
Azenta (AZTA) is larger, with a market capitalization of $1.54B compared with $1.11B for STAAR Surgical (STAA).
Which stock has performed better over the past year, AZTA or STAA?
AZTA returned +16.79% over the past 12 months, compared with -16.32% for STAA (price return, excluding dividends). Past performance does not predict future results.
Are Azenta and STAAR Surgical in the same industry?
No. Azenta is in the Technology sector, while STAAR Surgical is in Health Care.