Bausch Health Cos Inc. (NYSE:BHC) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of Bausch Health Cos Inc. (NYSE:BHC) have received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.00.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BHC. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bausch Health Cos from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Bausch Health Cos to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Bausch Health Cos from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Zacks Research raised Bausch Health Cos from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bausch Health Cos

In other news, insider Aimee Lenar sold 36,827 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.03, for a total value of $258,893.81. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 334,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,354,016.59. This represents a 9.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 20.67% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Paulson & CO. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bausch Health Cos in the second quarter worth $361,151,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Bausch Health Cos by 24.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,363,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,362,000 after acquiring an additional 2,262,894 shares in the last quarter. MFN Partners Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Bausch Health Cos in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,580,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Bausch Health Cos during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,592,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Bausch Health Cos by 10.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,604,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,456,000 after purchasing an additional 350,823 shares in the last quarter. 78.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Bausch Health Cos Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE BHC opened at $5.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 54.68, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a PE ratio of -1.90 and a beta of 0.37. Bausch Health Cos has a one year low of $4.33 and a one year high of $8.00. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $5.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.51.

Bausch Health Cos (NYSE:BHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.30. Bausch Health Cos had a negative return on equity of 561.95% and a negative net margin of 10.12%.The company had revenue of $2.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.59 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Bausch Health Cos will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

About Bausch Health Cos

Bausch Health Companies Inc is a multinational specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Laval, Quebec. The company develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, over-the-counter products and medical devices, with a focus on gastroenterology, neurology, dermatology and other specialty therapeutic areas.

Its portfolio includes gastrointestinal treatments such as Xifaxan, Trulance and Relistor, as well as products for conditions affecting the central nervous system and skin.