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

Shares of Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE:BLCO) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.25.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BLCO shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Bausch + Lomb from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup raised shares of Bausch + Lomb from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective (up from $18.00) on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a report on Thursday, October 30th. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th.

Institutional Trading of Bausch + Lomb

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 428.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 299,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,345,000 after buying an additional 242,993 shares during the last quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Bausch + Lomb during the second quarter worth $32,801,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB acquired a new stake in Bausch + Lomb in the second quarter valued at $202,000. Goldentree Asset Management LP grew its position in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 14.9% in the 2nd quarter. Goldentree Asset Management LP now owns 2,583,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,524,000 after acquiring an additional 334,916 shares during the period. Finally, Kazazian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bausch + Lomb during the 2nd quarter worth about $722,000. Institutional investors own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

Bausch + Lomb Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:BLCO opened at $17.24 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.81, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.61. Bausch + Lomb has a 12 month low of $10.45 and a 12 month high of $18.14. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

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