Defender Capital Opposes STAAR Surgical's Proposed Sale to Alcon

10/7/25 11:25:00 AM ET

Ophthalmic Goods

Health Care

Ophthalmic Goods

Health Care

Get the next $ALC alert in real time by email

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Defender Capital ("Defender" or "we"), a long-term shareholder of STAAR Surgical Company ("STAAR" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:STAA) owning approximately 1.5% of the Company's outstanding common stock, today issued the following statement outlining its opposition of the proposed acquisition of STAAR by Alcon Inc. ("Alcon") (NYSE:ALC):

We have been significant STAAR shareholders for more than ten years and remain convicted in the significant value of the Company. The proposed sale of STAAR to Alcon for $28 per share significantly undervalues the Company, especially when considering the STAAR Board of Directors' rejection of Alcon's previous offer for $58 per share in cash only sixteen months ago.

With recent positive projections and outlook released by management, we see no compelling reason to sell STAAR at this time. We are disappointed that the Board has pursued this ill-advised transaction at a valuation that does not reflect the prospects of STAAR's business as a standalone company.

About

Defender Capital, an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor, manages investment accounts – retirement accounts, non-retirement accounts, trusts, corporate accounts, donor-advised funds, etc. – for individuals, families, and corporations. We take a research driven, long-term approach, investing in U.S. equities.

Contacts

ASC Advisors

Taylor Ingraham

[email protected]

203 992 1230

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/defender-capital-opposes-staar-surgicals-proposed-sale-to-alcon-302577240.html

SOURCE Defender Capital

Get the next $ALC alert in real time by email

Crush Q1 2026 with the Best AI Superconnector

Stay ahead of the competition with Standout.work - your AI-powered talent-to-startup matching platform.

AI-Powered Inbox

Context-aware email replies

Strategic Decision Support

Get Started with Standout.work

Recent Analyst Ratings for
$ALC
$STAA

Company	Date	Price Target	Rating	Analyst
Alcon Inc. $ALC	2/26/2026	$97.00	Equal Weight → Overweight	Wells Fargo
STAAR Surgical Company $STAA	2/3/2026	$26.00	Neutral	Wedbush
Alcon Inc. $ALC	1/30/2026		Mkt Perform	William Blair
Alcon Inc. $ALC	1/20/2026		Hold → Buy	Deutsche Bank
STAAR Surgical Company $STAA	1/16/2026	$13.00	Underweight	Morgan Stanley
Alcon Inc. $ALC	1/9/2026		Buy → Hold	Stifel
Alcon Inc. $ALC	12/11/2025	$75.00	Buy → Underperform	BofA Securities
Alcon Inc. $ALC	8/21/2025		Overweight → Neutral	Analyst

More analyst ratings

$ALC
$STAA
Financials

Live finance-specific insights

STAAR Surgical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results

Confident in China Progress and Future Roadmap A Clear Path Toward Sustainable Profitability and Growth Board and Leadership Transitions Support Strategy Execution and Shareholder Value Creation STAAR Interim co-CEOs Issue Letter to Shareholders Earnings Call and Webcast Today at 5:30 PM Eastern STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ:STAA), the global leader in phakic IOLs with the EVO family of Implantable Collamer® Lenses (EVO ICL™) for vision correction, today reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended January 2, 2026. STAAR's Interim co-CEOs will be issuing a Letter to Shareholders after this earnings release, which can be found here: https://investors.staar.com/new

3/3/26 4:01:00 PM ET

Ophthalmic Goods

Health Care

Alcon Delivers Strong Fourth-Quarter 2025 Topline Growth as New Product Launches Accelerate Sales

Fourth-quarter 2025 sales of $2.7 billion, up 9% on a reported basis, or up 7% constant currency1 (cc), versus fourth-quarter 2024 Fourth-quarter 2025 diluted EPS of $0.44; core diluted EPS2 of $0.78 Generated $2.3 billion of cash from operations and $1.7 billion of free cash flow3 in full-year 2025 Returned $848 million to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends Ad Hoc Announcement Pursuant to Art. 53 LR Alcon (SIX/NYSE:ALC), the global leader in eye care, reported its financial results for the three and twelve month periods ending December 31, 2025. For the fourth quarter of 2025, sales were $2.7 billion, up 9% on a reported basis and up 7% on a constant curren

2/24/26 4:30:00 PM ET

Ophthalmic Goods

Health Care

STAAR Surgical to Host Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast on March 3, 2026

STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ:STAA), the global leader in phakic IOLs with the EVO family of Implantable Collamer® Lenses (EVO ICL™) for vision correction, today announced that it will release financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended January 2, 2026, on Tuesday, March 3 after the market close. The Company will also host an earnings call and webcast at 5:30 p.m. ET to discuss its financial results and business progress. Event: STAAR Surgical Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results Webcast Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Time: 5:30 p.m. ET/ 2:30 p.m. PT Location: https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=J3bNAuVd Topics on the c

2/23/26 4:01:00 PM ET

Ophthalmic Goods

Health Care

STAAR Surgical Appoints Warren Foust and Deborah Andrews Interim Co-CEOs

Search Committee Has Initiated a Global Search to Select Next CEO STAAR Surgical Company ("STAAR" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:STAA), the global leader in phakic IOLs with the EVO family of Implantable Collamer® Lenses (EVO ICL™) for vision correction, today announced that its Board of Directors (the "Board") has appointed Warren Foust, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Deborah Andrews, Chief Financial Officer, as interim co-Chief Executive Officers, effective February 1, 2026. Mr. Foust and Ms. Andrews will work together with the other members of the executive leadership team, with support and guidance from the Board, as they lead the Company and manage its day-to-day operations.

2/2/26 7:00:00 AM ET

Ophthalmic Goods

Health Care

STAAR Surgical and Broadwood Partners Enter Into Cooperation Agreement

Neal Bradsher and Richard LeBuhn of Broadwood and Christopher Wang of Yunqi Capital have Joined STAAR Board STAAR Chair Elizabeth Yeu and CEO Stephen Farrell have Stepped Down from the Board Farrell will Remain CEO until January 31, 2026 STAAR Surgical Company ("STAAR" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:STAA), the global leader in phakic IOLs with the EVO family of Implantable Collamer® Lenses (EVO ICL™) for vision correction, and Broadwood Partners, L.P. and its affiliates ("Broadwood"), which together own 31% of STAAR's outstanding common stock, today announced that Neal C. Bradsher and Richard T. LeBuhn of Broadwood and Christopher Wang of Yunqi Capital, which with its affiliates owns 6.5%

1/15/26 8:30:00 AM ET

Ophthalmic Goods

Health Care

Broadwood Partners Calls for the Appointment of New Directors at STAAR Surgical to Oversee Go-Shop Process

Believes New, Independent, and Experienced Directors Are Needed in Order to Restore Trust in the Board and Confidence in the Go-Shop Process Notes Recently Appended Go-Shop Is Not a Good Substitute for a Full Strategic Alternatives Process Conducted at the Right Time Broadwood Partners, L.P. and its affiliates (collectively, "Broadwood") today commented on the recent filing of amendments to the merger agreement in connection with the proposed sale of STAAR Surgical Company ("STAAR" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:STAA) to Alcon Inc. ("Alcon") (NYSE:ALC). Neal C. Bradsher, Founder and President of Broadwood, said: "For more than three months, we have been telling the Board of Directors tha

11/10/25 8:00:00 AM ET

Ophthalmic Goods

Health Care