STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ:STAA)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday after Wedbush raised their price target on the stock from $21.00 to $26.00. The stock had previously closed at $20.88, but opened at $24.85. Wedbush currently has a neutral rating on the stock. STAAR Surgical shares last traded at $26.14, with a volume of 2,404,630 shares traded.

STAA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on STAAR Surgical from $28.00 to $21.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STAAR Surgical in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of STAAR Surgical in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. BTIG Research reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of STAAR Surgical in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on STAAR Surgical from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.93.

Insider Activity

In other STAAR Surgical news, Director Broadwood Partners, L.P. bought 316,017 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $18.61 per share, with a total value of $5,881,076.37. Following the purchase, the director owned 16,123,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,064,699.62. This represents a 2.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 697,698 shares of company stock worth $12,872,294. Corporate insiders own 0.59% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about STAAR Surgical

Here are the key news stories impacting STAAR Surgical this week:

• Positive Sentiment: STAAR said preliminary net sales for Q1 2026 more than doubled versus a year ago, a substantial top-line beat that triggered an after-hours rally and renewed investor optimism about recovery in demand. STAAR Surgical stock surges 18% on strong Q1 sales beat
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets flagged STAAR’s preliminary Q1 sales surprise and the company’s statement that sales “more than doubled,” which drove volume and momentum into the stock as investors re-price growth expectations. STAAR Surgical Announces Preliminary Net Sales for First Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Canaccord Genuity upgraded STAA from “hold” to “buy” and raised its target to $27, signaling increased analyst conviction and adding buy-side momentum. Upgrades often lift sentiment and buying interest. Canaccord upgrade and $27 target
• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush raised its price target to $26 but kept a “neutral” rating, implying limited upside from that shop’s view; the update provides some validation but less bullish support than a buy rating. Wedbush raises PT to $26 (neutral)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-watchers and news roundups flagged STAA as a stock to watch following the sales release, which can amplify intraday attention but is informational rather than a direct catalyst. MarketWatch Stocks to Watch

Hedge Funds Weigh In On STAAR Surgical

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in STAAR Surgical by 58.2% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,669 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in STAAR Surgical by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 161,548 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,730,000 after purchasing an additional 10,652 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in STAAR Surgical during the fourth quarter worth $746,000. Symmetry Investments LP acquired a new position in STAAR Surgical during the fourth quarter worth $924,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in STAAR Surgical by 125.4% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 451,291 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,420,000 after purchasing an additional 251,072 shares during the last quarter. 96.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STAAR Surgical Stock Up 25.2%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $18.43 and a 200-day moving average of $22.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.16 and a beta of 1.04.

STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported ($0.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.14 by ($0.51). The firm had revenue of $57.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.54 million. STAAR Surgical had a negative return on equity of 10.03% and a negative net margin of 33.60%.The firm’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that STAAR Surgical Company will post -1.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About STAAR Surgical

STAAR Surgical Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells implantable lenses for the eye, and companion delivery systems to deliver the lenses into the eye. The company provides implantable Collamer lens product family (ICLs) to treat visual disorders, such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. It markets its products to health care providers, including ophthalmic surgeons, vision and surgical centers, hospitals, government facilities, and distributors, as well as products are primarily used by ophthalmologists.