Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the fifteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $270.38.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Laboratory Co. of America from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $260.00 to $265.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $293.00 to $286.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com lowered Laboratory Co. of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Laboratory Co. of America

In related news, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $235,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,722 shares in the company, valued at $2,989,670. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 5,339 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.23, for a total transaction of $1,330,638.97. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 4,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,236,180.80. This trade represents a 51.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,258 shares of company stock worth $3,753,177 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Laboratory Co. of America

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 312.5% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 132 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 309.8% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 168 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in Laboratory Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 3,660.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 188 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LH traded up $4.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $236.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 776,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 623,326. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $244.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.12. Laboratory Co. of America has a one year low of $191.97 and a one year high of $258.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $3.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.05. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 5.73%. On average, research analysts forecast that Laboratory Co. of America will post 16.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. Laboratory Co. of America's payout ratio is presently 32.65%.

Laboratory Co. of America Company Profile

Labcorp Holdings, Inc engages in providing medical testing services. The company was founded on April 16, 2024 and is headquartered in Burlington, NC.