Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $20.00.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BLCO shares. Morgan Stanley lowered Bausch + Lomb from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Bank of America cut their price objective on Bausch + Lomb from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bausch + Lomb

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Bausch + Lomb by 80.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 29,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 13,302 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb during the third quarter worth approximately $302,000. Cinctive Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb in the third quarter worth $870,000. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 14.7% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 24,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $476,000 after buying an additional 3,164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new stake in Bausch + Lomb in the third quarter valued at $957,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

Bausch + Lomb Stock Up 0.2 %

BLCO opened at $15.94 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.49. Bausch + Lomb has a 12 month low of $13.16 and a 12 month high of $21.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $16.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.12.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. Bausch + Lomb had a negative net margin of 6.62% and a positive return on equity of 3.35%. Bausch + Lomb’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.24 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Bausch + Lomb will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Bausch + Lomb Company Profile

Bausch + Lomb Corporation operates as an eye health company in the United States, Puerto Rico, China, France, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Poland, South Korea, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Vision Care, Pharmaceuticals, and Surgical. The Vision Care segment provides contact lens that covers the spectrum of wearing modalities, including daily disposable and frequently replaced contact lenses; and contact lens care products comprising over-the-counter eye drops, eye vitamins, and mineral supplements that address various conditions, such as eye allergies, conjunctivitis, dry eye, and redness relief.