Gabelli Funds LLC Increases Stake in Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO)

Gabelli Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb Co. (NYSE:BLCO - Free Report) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 430,000 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 40,000 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC owned about 0.12% of Bausch + Lomb worth $7,766,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bausch + Lomb in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,797,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Bausch + Lomb during the fourth quarter valued at $2,844,000. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 14.7% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 24,661 shares of the company's stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 3,164 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Bausch + Lomb by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,450 shares of the company's stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Bausch + Lomb in the 4th quarter worth about $665,000. 11.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bausch + Lomb Trading Up 3.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BLCO traded up $0.45 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $12.50. 160,461 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 693,042. The firm has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Bausch + Lomb Co. has a 1 year low of $10.46 and a 1 year high of $21.69. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $14.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.30.

Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.02. Bausch + Lomb had a positive return on equity of 3.35% and a negative net margin of 6.62%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.24 EPS. Bausch + Lomb's revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Bausch + Lomb Co. will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BLCO shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Bank of America cut their price target on Bausch + Lomb from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $15.00 target price (down from $24.00) on shares of Bausch + Lomb in a report on Friday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bausch + Lomb has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $18.82.

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.