Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) Issues Earnings Results

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The medical research company reported $3.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.05, Zacks reports. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 15.27% and a net margin of 3.43%. Laboratory Co. of America updated its FY 2025 guidance to 15.600-16.400 EPS.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

Shares of LH stock traded down $2.66 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $247.33. The stock had a trading volume of 999,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 604,107. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $236.46 and its 200 day moving average is $229.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.69 billion, a PE ratio of 47.84, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.07. Laboratory Co. of America has a twelve month low of $191.97 and a twelve month high of $258.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Laboratory Co. of America’s payout ratio is currently 55.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $275.00 target price (up from $265.00) on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com lowered Laboratory Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $262.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI raised Laboratory Co. of America from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Laboratory Co. of America presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.46.

Insider Activity at Laboratory Co. of America

In related news, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 3,672 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.91, for a total value of $877,277.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 4,318 shares in the company, valued at $1,031,613.38. This trade represents a 45.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $235,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,722 shares in the company, valued at $2,989,670. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 24,572 shares of company stock worth $5,915,209 in the last 90 days. 0.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.