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

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The medical research company reported $3.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE LH traded down $2.66 on Thursday, reaching $247.33. The company had a trading volume of 999,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 604,107. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.69 billion, a PE ratio of 47.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $236.46 and a 200-day moving average of $229.34. Laboratory Co. of America has a 1 year low of $191.97 and a 1 year high of $258.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America

In other news, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 12,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,989,670. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,189 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.47, for a total transaction 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 $21,289,260.27. The trade was a 6.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 24,572 shares of company stock valued at $5,915,209. Corporate insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $275.00 price objective (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $249.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com cut Laboratory Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $293.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Laboratory Co. of America currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.46.

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.