William Blair Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for LH

Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) - William Blair boosted their Q2 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research note issued to investors on Monday, February 10th. William Blair analyst A. Brackmann now forecasts that the medical research company will earn $4.00 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $3.92. The consensus estimate for Laboratory Co. of America's current full-year earnings is $15.96 per share.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $3.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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%.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Laboratory Co. of America from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of 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. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $271.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $265.31.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

Laboratory Co. of America stock traded up $1.87 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $246.74. The company had a trading volume of 565,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 603,727. Laboratory Co. of America has a 52 week low of $191.97 and a 52 week high of $258.59. The firm has a market cap of $20.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.98, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a 50 day moving average of $237.42 and a 200-day moving average of $231.14.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laboratory Co. of America

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. SouthState Corp purchased a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN purchased a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 312.5% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 132 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co increased its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 172.6% during the third quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 169 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 1,000 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.42, for a total value of $239,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,670 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $639,251.40. This trade represents a 27.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,121 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.62, for a total value of $1,497,319.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 86,445 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,146,175.90. This trade represents a 6.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 24,504 shares of company stock valued at $5,905,692 in the last ninety days. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Laboratory Co. of America's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.