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

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Bausch + Lomb from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore set a $18.00 target price on Bausch + Lomb and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

Bausch + Lomb Stock Up 1.7%

BLCO stock opened at $17.95 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.61. Bausch + Lomb has a twelve month low of $10.45 and a twelve month high of $18.12. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $17.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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

Institutional Trading of Bausch + Lomb

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Bausch + Lomb by 729.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,042 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 104.1% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,136 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 31.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Gruss & Co. LLC bought a new position in Bausch + Lomb during the second quarter worth about $130,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Bausch + Lomb by 55.3% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 9,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 3,246 shares during the period. 11.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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

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.