Stifel downgrades STAAR Surgical stock to Hold following Alcon acquisition

Published 07/08/2025, 08:10
Stifel downgrades STAAR Surgical stock to Hold following Alcon acquisition

Investing.com - Stifel downgraded STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) from Buy to Hold while raising its price target to $28.00 from $20.00 following the proposed acquisition by Alcon (NYSE:ALC). The stock has surged over 50% in the past week, with InvestingPro data showing the stock is currently in overbought territory.

The downgrade comes after Alcon’s announcement to acquire STAAR Surgical, which Stifel analyst Thomas M. Stephan described as "strategically sensible" with "attractive valuation" from Alcon’s perspective for STAAR’s differentiated technology. According to InvestingPro analysis, STAAR maintains a "Fair" overall financial health score, with notably strong cash flow metrics and a healthy balance sheet showing more cash than debt.

Stifel estimates the acquisition will be dilutive in the first year and only modestly accretive in the second year, even assuming "fairly significant cost synergies" are achieved.

The research firm noted that Alcon appears to be purchasing approximately 2-3 percentage points of 2026 constant currency sales growth through the deal, potentially targeting high single-digit percentage growth from STAAR in 2027.

Stifel also highlighted the timing of the acquisition as "notable," occurring as Alcon begins what the firm characterized as a "meaningful product cycle."

In other recent news, STAAR Surgical has entered into a definitive acquisition agreement with Alcon Inc., valued at approximately $1.5 billion. Under the terms of the deal, Alcon will acquire all outstanding shares of STAAR Surgical for $28 per share in cash. This acquisition price represents a 59% premium to STAAR’s 90-day volume-weighted average price. Following the announcement, Sidoti downgraded STAAR Surgical’s stock rating from Buy to Neutral, while Canaccord Genuity raised its price target on the stock to $28 from $20, maintaining a Hold rating. Additionally, STAAR Surgical has appointed Deborah Andrews as Chief Financial Officer, effective June 25, 2025. Andrews has previously served in the CFO role at the company and has been credited with enhancing financial and operational discipline. Meanwhile, Piper Sandler has maintained its Neutral rating on STAAR Surgical, citing ongoing challenges in the company’s China business and recent management changes. These developments come amid a backdrop of significant strategic shifts for STAAR Surgical.

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