Which Is a Better Investment, Alcon Inc. or Glaukos Corporation Stock?

By Tudor Pop
August 20, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Glaukos Corporation or Alcon Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc.

Glaukos Corporation, an ophthalmic pharmaceutical and medical technology company, develops therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, corneal disorders, and retinal diseases in the United States and internationally. It offers iStent and iStent inject W micro-bypass stents designed to treat mild-to-moderate open-angle glaucoma through the restoration of the natural physiologic outflow pathways for aqueous humor. The company also provides iStent infinite indicated for use in the treatment of patients with glaucoma uncontrolled by prior medical and surgical therapy; and iDose TR, an intracameral procedural pharmaceutical therapy indicated for the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. In addition, the company develops iLink, a device used for the treatment of keratoconus without the removal of the epithelium; ILution, a platform of cream-based drug formulation applied to the outer surface of the eyelid for drop less transdermal delivery of pharmaceutically active compounds for the treatment of anterior segment eye disorders; and retinal XR platform to treat age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion, and other posterior segment retinal diseases. It sells its products to ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals, and physician private practices through a direct sales organization, direct sales subsidiaries, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Transdx, Inc. Glaukos Corporation was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California.

Alcon Inc. researches, develops, manufactures, distributes, and sells eye care products worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Surgical and Vision Care. It offers equipment, instrumentation and diagnostics, intraocular lenses (IOLs), and other implantables; and consumables, including viscoelastics, surgical solutions, incisional instruments, surgical custom packs, and other products for surgical procedures. The company’s cataract products include Unity CS, LenSx laser system, Verion reference unit and Verion digital marker, ARGOS biometer, SMARTCATARACT health platform, NGENUITY 3D visualization system, LuxOR surgical ophthalmic microscope, and ORA system for intra-operative measurements; ADI cloud-based platform; and implantable products, including monofocal, Toric, and Presbyopia-Correcting IOLs, as well as delivery systems, such as AutonoMe and UltraSert. In addition, it provides Custom Pak surgical procedure packs vitreoretinal products comprising constellation vision systems, procedure packs, lasers and hand-held microsurgical instruments, Grieshaber, MIVS instruments; scissors, forceps and micro-instruments, medical grade vitreous tamponades, and Hypervit probes; and refractive surgery products, including WaveLight and Contoura Vision used for LASIK refractive procedure. Further, the company offers daily disposable, reusable, and color-enhancing contact lenses; ocular health products, such as dry eye, ocular allergies, glaucoma, and contact lens care, as well as ocular vitamins and redness relievers. The company was formerly known as Alcon Universal S.A. and changed its name to Alcon Inc. in December 2001. Alcon Inc. was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Latest Health Care Equipment & Supplies and Glaukos Corporation, Alcon Inc. Stock News

As of August 19, 2026, Glaukos Corporation had a $11.2 billion market capitalization, compared to the Health Care Equipment & Supplies median of $425.3 million. Glaukos Corporation’s stock is NA in 2026, NA in the previous five trading days and up 111.74% in the past year.

Currently, Glaukos Corporation does not have a price-earnings ratio. Glaukos Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $612.8 million with a -30.7% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 49.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $-0.291 per share for the current fiscal year. Glaukos Corporation does not currently pay a dividend.

Currently, Alcon Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 56.6. Alcon Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $10.9 billion with a 5.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 8.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.497 per share for the current fiscal year. Alcon Inc. currently has a 0.4% dividend yield.

How We Compare Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company Ticker Value
Glaukos Corporation GKOS F
Alcon Inc. ALC D

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Glaukos Corporation has a Value Score of 5, which is Ultra Expensive. Alcon Inc. has a Value Score of 32, which is Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Glaukos Corporation or Alcon Inc. has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Glaukos Corporation or Alcon Inc. is the better investment when it comes to value.

Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc. Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
Glaukos Corporation GKOS D
Alcon Inc. ALC A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Glaukos Corporation has a Growth Score of 38, which is Weak. Alcon Inc. has a Growth Score of 100, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Alcon Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Alcon Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than Glaukos Corporation. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Alcon Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Glaukos Corporation GKOS A
Alcon Inc. ALC D

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Glaukos Corporation has a Momentum Score of 90, which is Very Strong. Alcon Inc. has a Momentum Score of 33, which is Weak.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Glaukos Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Glaukos Corporation is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Alcon Inc.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Glaukos Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc. Grades

In addition to Momentum, Value and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Estimate Revisions and Quality.

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Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Glaukos Corporation or Alcon Inc. Stock?

Overall, Glaukos Corporation stock has a Value Score of 5, Growth Score of 38 and Momentum Score of 90.

Alcon Inc. stock has a Value Score of 32, Growth Score of 100 and Momentum Score of 33.

Comparing Glaukos Corporation and Alcon Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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