Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE:BLCO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE:BLCO) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.25.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective (up previously from $18.00) on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Bausch + Lomb from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Citigroup raised Bausch + Lomb from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $18.00 price target on Bausch + Lomb and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th.

Bausch + Lomb Trading Down 0.7%

BLCO opened at $17.32 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.51. Bausch + Lomb has a one year low of $10.45 and a one year high of $18.14. The company has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -19.91, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.61. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.27.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. Bausch + Lomb had a positive return on equity of 2.42% and a negative net margin of 6.13%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bausch + Lomb will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bausch + Lomb

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BLCO. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Bausch + Lomb during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Bausch + Lomb by 729.3% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,042 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 58.5% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 93.8% in the second quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 6,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gruss & Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb during the second quarter worth about $130,000. 11.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Bausch + Lomb

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.