Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

BLCO has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 price target (up from $18.00) on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Bausch + Lomb from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $16.00 target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a report on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Bausch + Lomb currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

Bausch + Lomb Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE BLCO opened at $17.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.60, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.61. Bausch + Lomb has a one year low of $10.45 and a one year high of $18.12. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.03). Bausch + Lomb had a positive return on equity of 2.77% and a negative net margin of 7.06%.The business had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Bausch + Lomb will post 0.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bausch + Lomb

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Bausch + Lomb by 729.3% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 2,042 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 104.1% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 31.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Gruss & Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bausch + Lomb during the second quarter valued at about $130,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Bausch + Lomb by 55.3% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 9,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 3,246 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

Bausch + Lomb News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat and operating leverage: Revenue of about $1.41B topped estimates and management highlighted strong revenue momentum and adjusted EBITDA expansion, supporting a constructive view on margin recovery and growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Zacks moved BLCO to a Rank #2 (Buy), reflecting growing optimism on earnings prospects which can provide upside momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research note: A Seeking Alpha review highlights 7% constant-currency Q4 revenue growth, 27% adjusted EBITDA growth, a product pipeline (contact lenses, dry-eye, premium IOLs) and management’s 5–7% annual revenue target through 2028 — supporting a multi-year growth story. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Price-target lift: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $18 (equal weight), a modest endorsement that reduces near-term downside risk. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call/transcripts published — read for detail: Full Q4 earnings call transcripts are available (MSN / InsiderMonkey) for investors wanting management commentary on margins, guidance and product timing. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategy/PR items: Management is promoting innovation (CEO highlights upcoming contact-lens innovations and has tied pay to AI literacy), which may support long-term positioning but is uncertain near-term catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss: Reported EPS of $0.32 missed consensus (~$0.35), which drove immediate volatility and raised short-term profitability concerns despite the revenue beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst divergence and downside views: Bank of America reiterated a Sell citing structural/margin headwinds (PT $15); Stifel maintains Hold — mixed-to-negative analyst posture could cap upside. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction was mixed: some outlets reported an intra-session gap down tied to the earnings miss even as other coverage noted shares later edged higher — signalling investor uncertainty and possible continued volatility. 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.