Leerink Partnrs Issues Optimistic Forecast for LH Earnings

Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Leerink Partnrs raised their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, October 25th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now forecasts that the medical research company will post earnings of $3.86 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $3.85. The consensus estimate for Laboratory Co. of America's current full-year earnings is $14.53 per share.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical research company reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.02. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 15.27%. The business had revenue of $3.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.38 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis.

LH has been the subject of several other reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Truist Financial increased their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $255.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $245.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Laboratory Co. of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.92.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

NYSE:LH traded down $1.21 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $227.42. 720,472 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 562,161. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $222.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $212.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Laboratory Co. of America has a one year low of $191.97 and a one year high of $239.50. The firm has a market cap of $19.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.05.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. Laboratory Co. of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Lance Berberian sold 12,093 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.10, for a total value of $2,770,506.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,647,501.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Laboratory Co. of America news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.05, for a total value of $454,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,670 shares in the company, valued at $833,273.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lance Berberian sold 12,093 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.10, for a total transaction of $2,770,506.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,647,501.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,679 shares of company stock worth $6,946,306. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Laboratory Co. of America

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 25.4% during the 2nd quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,949,640 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $396,771,000 after acquiring an additional 395,197 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,865,460 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $416,893,000 after purchasing an additional 263,105 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 135.0% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,609,826 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $327,616,000 after purchasing an additional 924,881 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 2.4% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,417,645 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $288,519,000 after purchasing an additional 33,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 26.8% during the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 928,250 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $188,908,000 after buying an additional 196,119 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 provides laboratory services. It operates through two segments, Diagnostics Laboratories and Biopharma Laboratory Services. The company offers various tests, such as blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, thyroid, PAP, hemoglobin A1C and vitamin D, prostate-specific antigens, sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis C, microbiology cultures and procedures, and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests.