Labcorp (NYSE:LH) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LHGet Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $323.97 and last traded at $322.6240, with a volume of 512632 shares. The stock had previously closed at $321.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Labcorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Labcorp from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Mizuho set a $355.00 target price on Labcorp in a research note on Monday. Barclays boosted their target price on Labcorp from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $352.00 price target on Labcorp in a report on Friday, July 31st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.00.

Get Our Latest Analysis on LH

Labcorp Stock Up 0.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $282.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.60. The company has a market cap of $26.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.87.

Labcorp (NYSE:LHGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical research company reported $4.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. Labcorp had a return on equity of 16.74% and a net margin of 6.99%.Labcorp’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.35 earnings per share. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.100-18.550 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Labcorp Holdings Inc. will post 18.32 EPS for the current year.

Labcorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Labcorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.82%.

Insider Transactions at Labcorp

In other news, EVP Amy B. Summy sold 924 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.74, for a total value of $283,427.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,956 shares in the company, valued at $2,133,683.44. This represents a 11.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bryan T. Vaughn sold 234 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.19, for a total transaction of $66,968.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,746 shares in the company, valued at $1,930,637.74. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 2,012 shares of company stock worth $577,810 in the last quarter. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Labcorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Labcorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Labcorp in the third quarter worth $28,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Labcorp in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Labcorp in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

Labcorp Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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