River Road Asset Management LLC Raises Position in Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO)

River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO) by 4.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,020,414 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 85,987 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Bausch + Lomb were worth $38,974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Bausch + Lomb by 14,052.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 3,232 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in Bausch + Lomb during the 2nd quarter valued at $173,000. Fore Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb in the first quarter valued at about $384,000. Renaissance Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 57.2% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Capital LLC now owns 36,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $527,000 after purchasing an additional 13,210 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Bausch + Lomb during the second quarter valued at approximately $580,000. Institutional investors own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

Bausch + Lomb Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of BLCO stock opened at $19.87 on Tuesday. Bausch + Lomb Co. has a 52-week low of $13.16 and a 52-week high of $21.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.52.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.01. Bausch + Lomb had a negative net margin of 7.86% and a positive return on equity of 3.17%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.22 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Bausch + Lomb Co. will post 0.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BLCO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore increased their target price on Bausch + Lomb from $15.50 to $17.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Raymond James assumed coverage on Bausch + Lomb in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $19.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.91.

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.