Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.05 EPS

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) released its earnings results on Thursday. The medical research company reported $3.45 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 Price Performance

Shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock traded down $2.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $245.61. 249,044 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 599,735. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $236.56 and its 200-day moving average is $229.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Laboratory Co. of America has a 52 week low of $191.97 and a 52 week high of $258.59. The stock has a market cap of $20.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.52, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.07.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $282.00 to $289.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. HSBC upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com lowered Laboratory Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,189 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.47, for a total value of $1,506,835.83. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 87,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,289,260.27. This trade represents a 6.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 1,000 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,722 shares of the company’s stock, 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 have sold a total of 24,572 shares of company stock worth $5,915,209 in the last ninety days. 0.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.