STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.03 EPS

STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.03), FiscalAI reports. STAAR Surgical had a negative net margin of 33.60% and a negative return on equity of 10.03%. The business had revenue of $93.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.72 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($1.10) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 119.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from STAAR Surgical’s conference call:

• STAAR reported a strong Q1 2026 with net sales of $93.5 million, up 119.6% year over year, and adjusted EBITDA swung to a $24.4 million profit from a $26.3 million loss last year.
• China drove the quarter, with $47.4 million in sales, early demand for EVO+ ICL, and distributor inventory back within targeted levels, which management said makes the quarter a cleaner base going forward.
• The company said it is seeing operating leverage and margin improvement, with gross margin rising to 73.6% and operating expenses down 18% excluding special items, while still targeting $225 million in full-year 2026 spending.
• STAAR highlighted several growth catalysts, including FDA approval expanding EVO ICL to patients ages 45 to 60, continued U.S. momentum with sales above $6 million, and the global milestone of more than 4 million ICLs sold.
• Management remained cautious on guidance, declining to endorse consensus or give specific Q2/Q3 forecasts because of macro, geopolitical, and seasonal uncertainty, even though it said Q2 appears to be shaping up normally.

STAAR Surgical Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of STAA traded up $1.22 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $29.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,318,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 781,679. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.54. STAAR Surgical has a twelve month low of $15.59 and a twelve month high of $30.81. The company has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.04 and a beta of 1.20.

Insider Activity

In other STAAR Surgical news, Director Broadwood Partners, L.P. bought 316,017 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $18.61 per share, with a total value of $5,881,076.37. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,123,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,064,699.62. This trade represents a 2.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 670,213 shares of company stock valued at $12,266,249. Corporate insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On STAAR Surgical

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of STAAR Surgical by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 161,548 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,730,000 after purchasing an additional 10,652 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of STAAR Surgical during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $746,000. Symmetry Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of STAAR Surgical during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $924,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of STAAR Surgical by 125.4% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 451,291 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,420,000 after acquiring an additional 251,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Arbitrage LLC raised its position in shares of STAAR Surgical by 45.1% during the 4th quarter. AQR Arbitrage LLC now owns 914,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $21,117,000 after acquiring an additional 284,073 shares in the last quarter. 96.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on STAA shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on STAAR Surgical from $30.75 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on STAAR Surgical from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen raised STAAR Surgical to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on STAAR Surgical in a research report on Friday, January 16th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $13.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered STAAR Surgical from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.93.

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.