Natixis Buys 1,173 Shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Natixis raised its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 29.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,139 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,173 shares during the period. Natixis' holdings in Laboratory Co. of America were worth $1,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LH. Capital City Trust Co. FL boosted its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL now owns 15,553 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,567,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 23.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 2,543 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 1,495 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 620,721 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $138,718,000 after acquiring an additional 65,356 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,052,927 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $243,321,000 after acquiring an additional 68,974 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $293.00 to $286.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered Laboratory Co. of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 18th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Laboratory Co. of America presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $268.77.

Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,121 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.62, for a total transaction of $1,497,319.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 86,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,146,175.90. This trade represents a 6.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 226 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.40, for a total transaction of $56,590.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 4,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,137,817.60. This represents a 4.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,258 shares of company stock valued at $3,518,177 in the last three months. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LH traded up $1.94 on Monday, hitting $230.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 636,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 632,743. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 12 month low of $191.97 and a 12 month high of $258.59. The stock's 50-day moving average is $235.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.44. The company has a market capitalization of $19.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.99.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $3.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 forecast that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 16.01 EPS for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Shareholders 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 1.25%. Laboratory Co. of America's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.65%.

About Laboratory Co. of America

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