Leerink Partnrs Issues Pessimistic Estimate for LH Earnings

Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) – Stock analysts at Leerink Partnrs dropped their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Laboratory Co. of America in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, April 4th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now forecasts that the medical research company will earn $3.65 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $3.67. The consensus estimate for Laboratory Co. of America’s current full-year earnings is $16.01 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Laboratory Co. of America’s Q2 2025 earnings at $4.11 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $4.10 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $16.06 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $19.86 EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on LH. Barclays reduced their target price on 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $293.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $270.38.

Laboratory Co. of America Price Performance

LH stock opened at $222.49 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $243.63 and a 200 day moving average of $234.95. 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 $18.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.23, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.12. Laboratory Co. of America has a 1 year low of $191.97 and a 1 year high of $258.59.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $3.45 earnings per share (EPS) 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%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laboratory Co. of America

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at $239,811,000. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 1,595,957 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $365,985,000 after purchasing an additional 959,981 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 344.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,123,409 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $263,161,000 after purchasing an additional 870,903 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the fourth quarter worth approximately $123,415,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 59.4% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,021,104 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $234,160,000 after buying an additional 380,624 shares during the period. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Laboratory Co. of America

In related news, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $235,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,722 shares in the company, valued at $2,989,670. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 1,314 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.30, for a total transaction of $330,208.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $545,572.30. This trade represents a 37.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,258 shares of company stock valued at $3,753,177. 0.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. Laboratory Co. of America’s payout ratio is currently 32.65%.

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.