Defender Capital LLC. Has $17.04 Million Stake in STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA)

Defender Capital LLC. grew its position in STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA - Free Report) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 701,567 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 23,950 shares during the period. STAAR Surgical comprises approximately 6.3% of Defender Capital LLC.'s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Defender Capital LLC. owned about 1.42% of STAAR Surgical worth $17,041,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of STAAR Surgical by 5,700.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 96,585 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,346,000 after acquiring an additional 94,920 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of STAAR Surgical by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 36,374 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $884,000 after acquiring an additional 6,354 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of STAAR Surgical by 411.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 214,750 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,978,000 after buying an additional 172,779 shares in the last quarter. Exome Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of STAAR Surgical in the third quarter valued at $1,516,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of STAAR Surgical by 80.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,844 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 14,162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STAA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens raised shares of STAAR Surgical to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of STAAR Surgical in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on STAAR Surgical from $31.00 to $28.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, STAAR Surgical presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $42.83.

Insider Activity at STAAR Surgical

In other news, major shareholder Broadwood Partners, L.P. bought 53,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $24.24 per share, with a total value of $1,296,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,821,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at $262,323,607.44. This trade represents a 0.50 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have purchased 105,876 shares of company stock worth $2,487,168 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

STAAR Surgical Trading Up 0.7 %

STAA stock traded up $0.18 during trading on Thursday, hitting $24.37. The company had a trading volume of 263,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 698,210. The business has a 50-day moving average of $24.78 and a 200-day moving average of $30.67. STAAR Surgical has a one year low of $21.13 and a one year high of $52.68. The stock has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 55.36 and a beta of 0.63.

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.