Dark Forest Capital Management LP Raises Stake in STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA - Free Report) by 164.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,524 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 15,866 shares during the quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP owned 0.05% of STAAR Surgical worth $620,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in STAAR Surgical during the 4th quarter worth about $180,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in STAAR Surgical during the 4th quarter worth about $278,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in STAAR Surgical during the 4th quarter worth about $292,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STAAR Surgical in the 4th quarter valued at about $298,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STAAR Surgical by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 12,956 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 3,871 shares during the last quarter. 96.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at STAAR Surgical

In other news, major shareholder Broadwood Partners, L.P. bought 8,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $15.08 per share, with a total value of $123,656.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 13,518,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at $203,860,352.28. This trade represents a 0.06 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders bought 1,742,581 shares of company stock valued at $28,407,543 in the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded STAAR Surgical from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. William Blair downgraded STAAR Surgical from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on STAAR Surgical from $38.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on STAAR Surgical from $28.00 to $17.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on STAAR Surgical in a research note on Monday, April 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $17.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $24.25.

STAAR Surgical Stock Performance

STAAR Surgical stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $18.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 109,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 793,092. STAAR Surgical has a fifty-two week low of $13.50 and a fifty-two week high of $49.86. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $17.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $894.06 million, a PE ratio of -44.17 and a beta of 0.75.

STAAR Surgical Company Profile

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.