HighTower Advisors LLC Takes $336,000 Position in STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA)

HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 9,085 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $336,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Granite Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in STAAR Surgical during the second quarter worth about $17,237,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STAAR Surgical by 50.1% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 592,621 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,215,000 after acquiring an additional 197,717 shares in the last quarter. American Capital Management Inc. grew its position in STAAR Surgical by 42.9% during the 3rd quarter. American Capital Management Inc. now owns 512,813 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $19,051,000 after acquiring an additional 154,037 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in STAAR Surgical by 25.9% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 459,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $21,884,000 after purchasing an additional 94,422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roubaix Capital LLC bought a new position in STAAR Surgical in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,293,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.70% of the company’s stock.

STAAR Surgical Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ STAA opened at $24.82 on Monday. STAAR Surgical has a 1 year low of $23.72 and a 1 year high of $52.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $28.17 and its 200-day moving average is $34.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 56.41 and a beta of 0.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STAA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STAAR Surgical in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of STAAR Surgical from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. Stephens raised shares of STAAR Surgical to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of STAAR Surgical from $31.00 to $28.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.83.

Insider Activity at STAAR Surgical

In related news, major shareholder Broadwood Partners, L.P. acquired 23,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $24.33 per share, with a total value of $559,590.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 10,848,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $263,947,192.23. This trade represents a 0.21 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.