EssilorLuxottica Expands Meta Eyewear Lineup While Buyback Fails to Halt 47% Slide
Published on 09/26/2026 at 07:30 | Editorial boerse-global.de
EssilorLuxottica and Meta Platforms used this week's Meta Connect developer gathering to unveil a broadened slate of connected eyewear, pairing a third-generation flagship frame with a camera-free alternative aimed at privacy-conscious buyers. The announcements, made Wednesday and Thursday, mark the latest step in a partnership the two companies have been building for several years.
At the center of the rollout sits the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3, priced at $449. The frame features a slimmer chassis and extended battery life, and buyers can pick from 27 color and lens combinations, including takes on the classic Aviator and Wayfarer shapes. The model has already gone on sale in the UK and Canada, with pre-orders opening in stages across Germany, France and Italy.
Joining it is the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, a lighter variant that drops the camera entirely. It arrives on October 13, 2026, carrying a starting price of $349. Meta's personal AI assistant, Muse, will run directly on the devices, and the partners intend to push the assistant across the entire product family. Distribution for the Audio model will run through Ray-Ban's own stores, Meta's channels, and selected wholesale and retail partners of EssilorLuxottica.
Geographic Push and a Three-Digit Target
The international footprint is widening well beyond the existing markets. Poland, Portugal and Israel are on the list, alongside South Africa, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. By year-end, the two companies expect to offer a three-digit number of distinct styles in their AI eyewear range — a signal that the technology is meant to blend into conventional frame collections rather than stand apart from them. The partners had already described the previous generation as the world's best-selling AI glasses over the summer.
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Management has also been active on the capital markets. On September 18, the company repurchased 287,000 of its own shares across multiple trading venues at a volume-weighted average price of EUR 139.2931 per share, acting under the authorization granted by its annual general meeting. The move is widely read as an attempt to steady sentiment while investors weigh the heavy future spending on connected eyewear against the broader mood in the technology sector.
Those concerns remain visible in the share price. The stock closed Friday at EUR 144.80, down 47% since the start of the year and 55% below its 52-week high.
Legal Questions Swirl Around the Category
Regulatory attention is adding another layer of uncertainty. French prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into suspected sexual harassment linked to smart glasses, according to Reuters. Separately, complaints from companies have landed with French data protection authorities. The official steps target the intelligent-eyewear industry as a whole and do not accuse EssilorLuxottica of any wrongdoing.
Analysts Split as Competition Looms
Sell-side opinion is far from uniform. RBC reaffirmed its "Buy/Outperform" rating on Tuesday but cut its price target to EUR 190 from EUR 230. Jefferies, according to media reports, kept its buy recommendation that same day with a target of EUR 250.
More cautious voices are focused on what lies ahead. Luca Solca of Bernstein Research rates the stock "Market Perform" and lowered his target to EUR 185, pointing to potential competition from Google and Apple in 2027 and 2028. He also noted that management has guided the market toward more conservative revenue expectations. Goldman Sachs maintained its "Neutral" stance while trimming its target to EUR 165, citing growth uncertainty, looming price pressure, and softness in the luxury and medical-technology segments.
Underneath the tech narrative, the core business remains tied to discretionary spending on conventional vision correction — and in key markets, many middle-class consumers are holding back.
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