Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms is reportedly in talks to acquire a roughly 5% stake in EssilorLuxottica, the company that makes Ray-Ban glasses, according to what the Wall Street Journal reports citing sources with knowledge of the matter.

It is recalled that Meta already cooperates with EssilorLuxottica for Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.

According to the publication, 5% of the world’s largest optical company it is valued at about 4.44 billion euros, based on its market capitalization of 86.50 billion euros, according to Reuters calculations.

A potential deal would give Meta’s “smart glasses” plan a boost at a time when tech giants such as Apple are investing millions to create advanced gadgets based on augmented and mixed reality technologies.

The shares of EssilorLuxotticawhich trade on the Paris stock exchange, rose 6% after the report, with Meta shares on the other side of the Atlantic trading 2.3% higher.

The optical company in its current form is the result of the merger that took place in 2018 between France’s Essilor and Italy’s Luxottica. Holding company Delfin, controlled by the family of Luxottica’s late founder Leonardo Del Vecchio, is the optical company’s largest shareholder, with a stake of around 33%.

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which were first launched in 2021are an important part of Meta’s consumer products portfolio.

EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri said earlier this week that in just a few months, far more new-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (launched last October) have been sold than the older model was sold in two years. years.

Analysts have been particularly positive about this latest generation of glasses, which includes a Meta’s AI digital assistantwhile they can transmit in real time and directly to Facebook and Instagram what the person wearing them sees.

Third-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are estimated to be ready by the end of 2025, according to the WSJ.