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

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The medical research company reported $3.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:LH traded down $2.66 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $247.33. The company had a trading volume of 999,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 604,107. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $236.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $229.34. The company has a market capitalization of $20.69 billion, a PE ratio of 47.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.07. Laboratory Co. of America has a 52 week low of $191.97 and a 52 week high of $258.59.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LH shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America upped their price target 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $275.00 target price (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, HSBC raised Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Four 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.46.

Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America

In other news, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,189 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 87,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,289,260.27. This represents a 6.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $235,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 12,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,989,670. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,572 shares of company stock valued at $5,915,209. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

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.