Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $268.38.

Several analysts have recently commented on LH shares. StockNews.com raised Laboratory Co. of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $271.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup upgraded shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $262.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th.

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Laboratory Co. of America Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE LH traded down $1.07 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $253.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 801,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 607,434. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $243.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.67. Laboratory Co. of America has a twelve month low of $191.97 and a twelve month high of $258.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.12.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.05. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 5.73% and a return on equity of 15.29%. Analysts anticipate that Laboratory Co. of America will post 16.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Laboratory Co. of America's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.65%.

Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America

In other news, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 226 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.40, for a total value of $56,590.40. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,137,817.60. This represents a 4.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.63, for a total transaction of $127,815.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,365,624.58. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,500 shares of company stock worth $3,577,572. 0.85% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 3.2% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,342 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,840,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. SP Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. SP Asset Management LLC now owns 15,186 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,483,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,780 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,931,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 7,194 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,650,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.