Alcon ALC recently announced that its Clareon Vivity intraocular lens (IOL), featuring extended depth of focus (EDOF) technology, has received CE Mark approval. The lens, made from Alcon's advanced Clareon material, is set for commercial rollout across Europe in early second-quarter 2025, expanding visual possibilities for patients.
This milestone highlights Alcon's commitment to enhancing vision care, offering patients a premium presbyopia-correcting solution. The introduction of Clareon Vivity IOL marks a significant advancement in ocular health technology, bringing clearer vision to those with age-related near-vision loss.
Likely Trend of ALC Stock Following the News
Shares of the company jumped nearly 2% and closed at $92.35 yesterday, banking on its other positive updates. However, in the past six months, ALC’s shares have lost 6.5% compared with the industry’s 8.4% decline. The S&P 500 declined 0.6% in the same time frame.
The company’s Surgical segment continues to gain from its diverse portfolio and incremental innovation. Within the segment, Alcon is gaining synergies for its cataract consumables business due to various product launches. We expect the market sentiment toward the ALC stock to remain positive surrounding the latest agreement.
Meanwhile, ALC currently has a market capitalization of $44.67 billion. The company delivered an earnings surprise of 2.9% in the last reported quarter.
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More on ALC’s Clareon Vivity IOL
Clareon Vivity IOL is designed to address presbyopia, a common age-related condition that affects near vision, making tasks like reading or using a phone difficult. Unlike traditional monofocal lenses, which provide clear vision at only one distance, Clareon Vivity offers EDOF, allowing patients to see clearly at multiple distances.
Clareon Vivity IOL is made from a high-quality material with minimal haze and glistenings, offering sharp, clear vision. The lens features a proprietary edge design to reduce glare and posterior capsular opacification, while its STABLEFORCE Haptics ensure stability in the eye. Using X-WAVE Technology, it extends the focal range for better vision at multiple distances. Compared with monofocal lenses, it reduces the need for glasses and improves intermediate and near vision without compromising contrast sensitivity.
With the CE Mark approval for Clareon Vivity and Clareon Vivity Toric, surgeons in Europe now have access to the complete Clareon IOL portfolio to address various patient needs. This includes Clareon Monofocal, Clareon Toric, Clareon PanOptix and Clareon PanOptix Toric, all available in foldable options with ultraviolet absorption and blue light filtering.
ALC’s Recent Developments
Recently, Alcon announced a definitive agreement to acquire LENSAR, a leader in advanced laser solutions for cataract treatment. The deal includes LENSAR’s ALLY Robotic Cataract Laser System, Streamline software and legacy laser technology. This acquisition strengthens Alcon’s femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery portfolio.
ALC’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
ALC carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present.
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Masimo MASI, Boston Scientific BSX and Cardinal Health CAH. At present, Masimo sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), whereas Boston Scientific and Cardinal Health carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Masimo’s shares have rallied 30.1% in the past year. Estimates for MASI’s 2024 earnings per share (EPS) have increased 1.2% to $4.10 in the past 30 days. MASI’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 17.1%. In the last reported quarter, it posted an earnings surprise of 16.6%.
Estimates for Boston Scientific’s 2025 EPS have jumped 2.9% to $2.85 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have surged 56.7% in the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 12.5%. BSX’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 8.25%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 7.69%.
Estimates for Cardinal Health’s fiscal 2025 EPS have increased 1.5% to $7.94 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have gained 15.2% in the past year against the industry’s 4.1% decline. CAH’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 9.6%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 10.3%.
5 Stocks Set to Double
Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.
Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Alcon (ALC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Masimo Corporation (MASI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
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