Leerink Partnrs Analysts Reduce Earnings Estimates for LH

Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) – Equities researchers at Leerink Partnrs cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Laboratory Co. of America in a report released on Friday, April 4th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Cherny now forecasts that the medical research company will post earnings of $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.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $3.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.05. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 5.73%.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Laboratory Co. of America from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America increased their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $262.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $276.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $270.38.

Laboratory Co. of America Price Performance

NYSE:LH opened at $223.47 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $18.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.99. Laboratory Co. of America has a 52 week low of $191.97 and a 52 week high of $258.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $243.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.95.

Institutional Trading of Laboratory Co. of America

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LH. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. SP Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. SP Asset Management LLC now owns 15,186 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,483,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,780 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,931,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 7,194 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,650,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 354 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, EVP Amy B. Summy sold 758 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.67, for a total value of $175,605.86. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,302 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,228,314.34. The trade was a 12.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,121 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 86,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,146,175.90. This represents a 6.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,258 shares of company stock worth $3,518,177 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.