Bausch + Lomb Corporation (BLCO) - What Are Researchers Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mostly neutral: Fifteen firms give Bausch + Lomb an average “Hold” rating, with a consensus 12-month price target of $20.83.
• Latest quarterly results beat expectations: The company reported EPS of $0.34 versus $0.21 expected and revenue of $1.38 billion, up 7.3% year over year.
• A senior finance executive sold shares: Chief Accounting Officer Frederick Munsch sold 112,015 shares for about $2.29 million, reducing his ownership by 70.96%.

Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE:BLCO - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $20.83.

BLCO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $21.00 target price for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research note on Thursday, October 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bausch + Lomb

In other news, CAO Frederick Munsch sold 112,015 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.48, for a total transaction of $2,294,067.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 45,831 shares in the company, valued at $938,618.88. This trade represents a 70.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.45% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bausch + Lomb

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State of Wyoming lifted its position in Bausch + Lomb by 6.9% during the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 13,772 shares of the company's stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 887 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Bausch + Lomb by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 22,000 shares of the company's stock worth $364,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Bausch + Lomb by 67.1% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 1,468 shares during the period. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Bausch + Lomb in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd grew its holdings in Bausch + Lomb by 46.0% in the 3rd quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 17,452 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 5,502 shares during the period. 11.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bausch + Lomb Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BLCO opened at $21.35 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.56. Bausch + Lomb has a one year low of $14.44 and a one year high of $21.40. The business's fifty day moving average price is $17.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.80. The stock has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of -68.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.52.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.13. Bausch + Lomb had a positive return on equity of 5.01% and a negative net margin of 2.05%. The business had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.18 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Bausch + Lomb will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bausch + Lomb Company Profile

Bausch + Lomb Corporation is an eye-health company that develops, manufactures and markets products for consumers, eye-care professionals and surgical teams. Its business spans vision care, pharmaceuticals and surgical devices. Its products include contact lenses and lens-care solutions, as well as eye-health medicines and nutritional supplements. The company also supplies equipment, technologies and related products used in eye surgery and other ophthalmic procedures. Founded in Rochester, New York, in 1853 by John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb, the company serves customers in more than 100 countries.

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