HC Wainwright Increases Earnings Estimates for Bausch + Lomb

Key Points

• HC Wainwright raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Bausch + Lomb to $0.83 (from $0.78), issued a Buy rating and a $20 price target, and projected FY2027 EPS of $0.93 with quarterly forecasts showing a recovering earnings cadence.
• The analyst landscape is mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $18.08, though several firms (Citigroup, RBC, Barclays) have recently bumped targets into the $20–$21 range while Goldman Sachs remains neutral at $19.
• Bausch + Lomb recently beat Q1 estimates (EPS $0.08 vs. $0.06 consensus; revenue $1.24B vs. $1.22B) with revenue up 9.4% year‑over‑year, and insiders (CFO and EVP) purchased shares in March, signaling insider confidence.

Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE:BLCO - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at HC Wainwright boosted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research note issued on Monday, May 4th. HC Wainwright analyst Y. Chen now anticipates that the company will earn $0.83 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $0.78. HC Wainwright currently has a "Buy" rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Bausch + Lomb's current full-year earnings is $0.81 per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Bausch + Lomb's Q1 2027 earnings at $0.07 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $0.93 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on BLCO. Citigroup upped their price objective on Bausch + Lomb from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays upped their price objective on Bausch + Lomb from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Bausch + Lomb from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Bausch + Lomb from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bausch + Lomb currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $18.08.

Bausch + Lomb Stock Performance

Bausch + Lomb stock opened at $16.00 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $5.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -25.80, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.59. The stock's 50 day moving average is $16.61 and its 200 day moving average is $16.54. Bausch + Lomb has a twelve month low of $10.83 and a twelve month high of $18.92.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. Bausch + Lomb had a positive return on equity of 3.60% and a negative net margin of 4.21%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.07) EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bausch + Lomb

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 729.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,322 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,042 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 104.1% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,227 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 31.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,903 shares of the company's stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 55.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 9,112 shares of the company's stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 3,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb in the 3rd quarter worth $170,000. 11.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Sam Eldessouky purchased 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.13 per share, with a total value of $68,520.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 403,130 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,905,616.90. This represents a 1.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP A Robert D. Bailey purchased 14,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.15 per share, for a total transaction of $250,390.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 231,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,976,913.50. This trade represents a 6.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought 33,300 shares of company stock valued at $570,868 in the last ninety days. 1.45% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Bausch + Lomb News

Here are the key news stories impacting Bausch + Lomb this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised several quarterly and annual EPS estimates and issued higher forecasts for FY2026 and FY2027 (e.g., FY2026 to $0.83 from $0.78; FY2027 to $0.93) and multiple quarter upgrades, signaling improving profitability expectations. The firm maintains a "Buy" rating with a $20 price target, implying meaningful upside versus the current mid‑teens share price.
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright published specific quarterly forecasts (examples: Q1 2027 $0.07, Q2 2026 $0.21, Q3 2026 $0.21, Q4 2026 $0.34, and Q4 2027 $0.41), demonstrating a more optimistic cadence of earnings recovery across 2026–2027 — a near‑term catalyst for sentiment and valuation re‑rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: Bausch + Lomb announced its second R&D "teach‑in" webinar to showcase two new contact‑lens technologies. This highlights long‑term product development but is a longer‑horizon, execution‑dependent positive rather than an immediate earnings driver. Article Title

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.