Bausch + Lomb's (BLCO) Sell (D-) Rating Reaffirmed at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Bausch + Lomb's stock has been given a **"sell (D-)" rating** by Weiss Ratings, reaffirming concerns about the company's performance.
• Goldman Sachs has begun coverage with a **"neutral" rating** and a price target of **$16.00**, while Wells Fargo raised its target from $12.00 to **$15.00** with an "equal weight" rating.
• The company reported a **positive earnings surprise** for Q2, with an EPS of **$0.07**, slightly above the consensus estimate of **$0.06**, while revenue increased by **5.1%** year-over-year.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d-)" rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Bausch + Lomb in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Bausch + Lomb from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Zacks Research raised shares of Bausch + Lomb to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $16.50 to $17.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $15.70.

Bausch + Lomb Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BLCO traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $14.73. 385,254 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 743,239. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company's 50 day moving average is $14.62 and its 200 day moving average is $13.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.63. Bausch + Lomb has a one year low of $10.45 and a one year high of $21.69.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. Bausch + Lomb had a negative net margin of 5.58% and a positive return on equity of 2.33%. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.13 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Bausch + Lomb has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Bausch + Lomb will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bausch + Lomb

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 242,993 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Bausch + Lomb during the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,712,000. Vident Advisory LLC bought a new position in Bausch + Lomb during the 1st quarter worth approximately $289,000. Clearline Capital LP lifted its holdings in Bausch + Lomb by 38.2% in the 1st quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 893,790 shares of the company's stock worth $12,960,000 after buying an additional 247,149 shares during the period. Finally, Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Bausch + Lomb by 147.6% in the 1st quarter. Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. now owns 50,158 shares of the company's stock worth $727,000 after buying an additional 29,900 shares during the period. 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.

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