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

Key Points

• STAAR gapped up after Wedbush raised its price target to $26 — the stock opened at $24.85 (prior close $20.88) and last traded around $26.14 on heavy volume, while Canaccord also upgraded to a Buy with a $27 target.
• The immediate catalyst was the company saying preliminary Q1 net sales “more than doubled” year-over-year, sparking an after-hours rally and renewed investor optimism about demand recovery.
• Insider and institutional activity was notable: Broadwood Partners bought 316,017 shares (raising its stake to ~16.1M shares), insiders purchased ~697,698 shares last quarter, and institutional ownership stands at about 96.7%.

STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ:STAA - Get Free Report) 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.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on STAAR Surgical from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on STAAR Surgical in a report on Friday, January 16th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $13.00 price target on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded STAAR Surgical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $22.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of STAAR Surgical in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on STAAR Surgical from $28.00 to $21.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, STAAR Surgical currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $19.93.

Insider Activity at STAAR Surgical

In other STAAR Surgical news, Director Broadwood Partners, L.P. acquired 316,017 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $18.61 per share, for a total transaction of $5,881,076.37. Following the acquisition, the director owned 16,123,842 shares in the company, valued at $300,064,699.62. The trade was a 2.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders bought 697,698 shares of company stock valued at $12,872,294. Corporate insiders own 0.59% of the company's stock.

Key STAAR Surgical News

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

Institutional Trading of STAAR Surgical

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. New York Life Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STAAR Surgical in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,243,000. Alpine Associates Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of STAAR Surgical in the 3rd quarter valued at about $24,535,000. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of STAAR Surgical in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,708,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of STAAR Surgical in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,359,000. Finally, Defender Capital LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of STAAR Surgical in the 4th quarter valued at about $15,429,000. 96.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STAAR Surgical Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.16 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $18.43 and a 200-day moving average of $22.61.

STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported ($0.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.51). STAAR Surgical had a negative net margin of 33.60% and a negative return on equity of 10.03%. The firm had revenue of $57.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.54 million. STAAR Surgical's revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that STAAR Surgical Company will post -1.14 earnings per share 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.

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