STAAR Surgical Company (STAA), an implantable lenses provider for reactive vision correction, announced its first-quarter 2026 financial results and issued a shareholder letter outlining operational progress and growth priorities.
Net sales for the quarter were $93.5 million, up 119.6% compared with $42.6 million in the same period of 2025, representing the highest first-quarter revenue in company history. Excluding China, net sales were $46.1 million, up from $43.5 million a year earlier.
Gross margin expanded to 73.6% from 65.8% percent in the prior-year quarter. The company reported net income of $5.2 million, or $0.10 per share, compared with a net loss of $54.2 million, or $(1.10) per diluted share in the first quarter of 2025.
Adjusted EBITDA improved to $24.4 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, compared with an adjusted EBITDA loss of $26.3 million, or $(0.53) per diluted share.
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments totaled $163.9 million at quarter-end, compared with $173.1 million a year earlier, with no outstanding debt.
The company highlighted renewed growth in China following normalization of distributor inventories and strong demand for the newly launched EVO+ICL. In the United States, net sales exceeded $6 million for the first time, reflecting 22 percent year-over-year growth, supported by surgeon adoption and the recent FDA approval extending the indication for EVO ICL to patients aged 45 to 60. Globally, STAAR surpassed the milestone of four million ICLs sold, underscoring its position in lens-based refractive surgery.
The company also advanced scaling of its Nidau, Switzerland manufacturing facility, which is expected to supply all EVO ICLs shipped to China in 2026, mitigating tariff exposure. Implementation of a new Oracle ERP system continued, aimed at improving operational visibility and efficiency.
STAAR has traded between $15.59 and $30.81 over the past year. The stock closed Wednesday's trading at $29.40, up 4.33%. In pre-market trading the stock is trading at $34.00, up 15.65%.
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