Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $268.77.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LH shares. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $276.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Laboratory Co. of America from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $240.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 18th.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Down 0.2 %

LH stock traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $227.83. 415,769 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 631,732. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $19.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.82, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.99. Laboratory Co. of America has a 12 month low of $191.97 and a 12 month high of $258.59. The firm's 50-day moving average is $235.30 and its 200-day moving average is $235.28.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $3.45 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts expect that Laboratory Co. of America will post 16.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Laboratory Co. of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Laboratory Co. of America

In other news, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,121 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.62, for a total transaction of $1,497,319.02. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 86,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,146,175.90. This represents a 6.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Amy B. Summy sold 758 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.67, for a total value of $175,605.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,302 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,228,314.34. This represents a 12.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,258 shares of company stock worth $3,518,177. Insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.5% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. SP Asset Management LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 920 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.4% in 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 buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 7,194 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,650,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.