Bausch Health Cos Inc. (NYSE:BHC) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Bausch Health Cos Inc. (NYSE:BHC) has received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.00.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Bausch Health Cos from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Bausch Health Cos from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Bausch Health Cos from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Bausch Health Cos from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th.

Insider Activity at Bausch Health Cos

In other news, Director Frank D. Lee sold 24,456 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.43, for a total transaction of $132,796.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 49,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $267,910.77. This represents a 33.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 20.67% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bausch Health Cos

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Amundi increased its stake in Bausch Health Cos by 61.7% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 23,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 9,148 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Bausch Health Cos by 24.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,363,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,362,000 after buying an additional 2,262,894 shares in the last quarter. Whitebox Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bausch Health Cos by 3.7% in the first quarter. Whitebox Advisors LLC now owns 564,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,049,000 after buying an additional 20,175 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bausch Health Cos by 15.5% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 53,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 7,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bausch Health Cos by 10.0% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,575,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,509,000 after buying an additional 143,581 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.65% of the company’s stock.

Bausch Health Cos Stock Performance

Shares of BHC stock opened at $5.17 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.60 and a beta of 0.40. Bausch Health Cos has a 52 week low of $4.80 and a 52 week high of $8.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 54.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $5.47 and a 200-day moving average of $6.01.

Bausch Health Cos (NYSE:BHC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.37 billion. Bausch Health Cos had a negative net margin of 11.47% and a negative return on equity of 2,922.77%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Bausch Health Cos will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Bausch Health Cos Company Profile

Bausch Health Cos Inc, formerly known as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, is a global specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The company operates through two primary segments: Ophthalmology, led by its Bausch + Lomb franchise, and Diversified Brands, which encompasses prescription dermatology, gastrointestinal, neurology and branded pharmaceutical products. Bausch Health develops, manufactures and markets a range of therapeutic and over-the-counter offerings designed to address conditions such as cataracts, dry eye, glaucoma, acne, rosacea, migraine and gastrointestinal disorders.

The Ophthalmology segment under the Bausch + Lomb name provides products for eye health, including prescription drops, contact lens care solutions, intraocular lenses, surgical instruments and diagnostic devices.