Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $304.8182.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Labcorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Labcorp from $319.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Labcorp from $313.00 to $326.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Labcorp from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Labcorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th.

Labcorp Stock Performance

LH opened at $263.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $273.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $269.53. Labcorp has a 1 year low of $209.38 and a 1 year high of $293.72. The stock has a market cap of $21.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.01.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The medical research company reported $4.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.95 by $0.12. Labcorp had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 16.16%. The company had revenue of $3.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.550-18.250 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Labcorp will post 16.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Labcorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.53%.

Insider Activity at Labcorp

In other news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 548 shares of Labcorp stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.91, for a total value of $156,130.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,579 shares in the company, valued at $734,782.89. This trade represents a 17.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brian J. Caveney sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.31, for a total transaction of $429,465.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,619,935.17. This represents a 4.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 16,113 shares of company stock worth $4,547,450 in the last quarter. 0.84% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Labcorp

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LH. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Labcorp during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Labcorp in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Labcorp in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Labcorp Company Profile

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, commonly known as Labcorp (NYSE: LH), is a global life sciences company that provides comprehensive clinical laboratory and drug development services. The company operates a broad network of laboratories, patient service centers and specialty testing sites to deliver diagnostic information and testing solutions that support patient care, clinical decision-making and population health initiatives.

Labcorp’s core businesses encompass clinical laboratory testing and pharmaceutical development services.