Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $19.45.

Several equities research analysts have commented on BLCO shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays upped their target price on Bausch + Lomb from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded Bausch + Lomb from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $16.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bausch + Lomb

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Eminence Capital LP boosted its position in Bausch + Lomb by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 5,994,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,612,000 after buying an additional 626,431 shares during the period. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 11.5% during the third quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 3,220,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,580,000 after buying an additional 333,000 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Bausch + Lomb by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,938,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,066,000 after acquiring an additional 343,772 shares in the last quarter. Freshford Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Bausch + Lomb by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Freshford Capital Management LLC now owns 1,754,123 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,925,000 after acquiring an additional 403,062 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its position in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 39.1% in the 3rd quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 1,351,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,913,000 after purchasing an additional 380,000 shares during the last quarter. 11.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bausch + Lomb Trading Up 6.3 %

NYSE BLCO opened at $14.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.08 billion, a PE ratio of -15.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.47. Bausch + Lomb has a 52 week low of $13.16 and a 52 week high of $21.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $15.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.58.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.02). Bausch + Lomb had a negative net margin of 7.81% and a positive return on equity of 3.60%. The business had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.10 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Bausch + Lomb will post 0.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.