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

Shares of Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $20.58.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BLCO shares. Evercore ISI raised Bausch + Lomb from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $19.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research note on Thursday, October 31st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bausch + Lomb

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Bausch + Lomb by 5.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 14.7% during the 3rd 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. Renaissance Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Renaissance Capital LLC now owns 43,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $840,000 after buying an additional 7,274 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bausch + Lomb in the 2nd quarter valued at $173,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 13,302 shares in the last quarter. 11.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bausch + Lomb Stock Performance

Shares of Bausch + Lomb stock opened at $17.74 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $19.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.82. The company has a market cap of $6.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.90, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.57. Bausch + Lomb has a one year low of $13.16 and a one year high of $21.69.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.01. Bausch + Lomb had a negative net margin of 7.86% and a positive return on equity of 3.17%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Bausch + Lomb will post 0.6 EPS 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.