Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the twelve 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 four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.50.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BLCO. HC Wainwright decreased their price target on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Bausch + Lomb from $18.00 to $12.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Bausch + Lomb Stock Up 5.6%

Bausch + Lomb stock traded up $0.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $11.91. The stock had a trading volume of 1,122,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 651,866. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a PE ratio of -13.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.58. Bausch + Lomb has a fifty-two week low of $10.45 and a fifty-two week high of $21.69. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $13.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.60.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.10). Bausch + Lomb had a negative net margin of 6.62% and a positive return on equity of 3.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.07 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Bausch + Lomb will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 68.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Bausch + Lomb during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 101.7% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 6,719 shares of the company's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 3,387 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb during the 4th quarter worth approximately $181,000. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new position in Bausch + Lomb during the 4th quarter valued at $181,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.07% of the company's stock.

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.