Pro-Dex (PDEX) 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
Pro-Dex (PDEX) has outperformed STAAR Surgical (STAA) over the past year, gaining 91.3% versus a loss of 16.3%. Over five years, PDEX leads with a +144.3% price change compared with -80.5% for STAA. STAAR Surgical is the larger company by market cap ($1.12 billion vs $201.1 million), about 5.6 times the size.
On valuation, Pro-Dex trades at a lower forward P/E (18.5x vs 20.1x for STAAR Surgical).
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 | PDEX | STAA |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $62.21 | $22.38 |
| Market cap | $201.14M | $1.12B |
| 1-day change | -0.94% | +0.09% |
| YTD return | +63.20% | -3.16% |
| 1-year return | +91.35% | -16.32% |
| 5-year return | +144.26% | -80.54% |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | 15.10 | 279.75 |
| Forward P/E | 18.51 | 20.14 |
| EPS (TTM) | $4.12 | $0.08 |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Annual dividend | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 52-week high | $77.00 | $35.87 |
| 52-week low | $23.47 | $15.59 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -19.21% | -37.61% |
| Analyst consensus | none | buy |
| Avg. price target upside | +18.95% | +25.11% |
| Average volume | 81.57K | 998.64K |
| Shares outstanding | 3.23M | 50.14M |
| Employees | 201 | 921 |
| Sector | Health Care | Health Care |
| Industry | Medical/Dental Instruments | 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
- STAAR Surgical is about 5.6 times larger than Pro-Dex by market value ($1.12B vs $201.14M).
- PDEX has outperformed STAA by 107.7 percentage points over the past year.
- STAAR Surgical trades at a higher earnings multiple (279.8x vs 15.1x trailing P/E).
About Pro-Dex
PDEX stock →Pro-Dex, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and repairs powered surgical instruments for medical device original equipment manufacturers worldwide.
Health Care · Medical/Dental Instruments · 201 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
PDEX vs STAA FAQ
Which is bigger, Pro-Dex or STAAR Surgical?
STAAR Surgical (STAA) is larger, with a market capitalization of $1.12B compared with $201.14M for Pro-Dex (PDEX).
Which stock has performed better over the past year, PDEX or STAA?
PDEX returned +91.35% over the past 12 months, compared with -16.32% for STAA (price return, excluding dividends). Past performance does not predict future results.
Which has the lower P/E ratio, PDEX or STAA?
PDEX has the lower trailing P/E at 15.1, versus 279.8 for STAA. A lower P/E is not by itself a sign of a better investment; it can reflect slower expected growth or higher risk.
Are Pro-Dex and STAAR Surgical in the same industry?
Both are in the Health Care sector, but in different industries: Medical/Dental Instruments for Pro-Dex and Ophthalmic Goods for STAAR Surgical.