Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Receives $243.50 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $243.50.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $222.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Argus raised shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research note on Friday, February 9th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $240.00 target price for the company. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

NYSE LH opened at $201.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s fifty day moving average is $215.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $214.79. Laboratory Co. of America has a 52-week low of $174.20 and a 52-week high of $234.09.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The medical research company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.29 by $0.01. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 13.99%. The business had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Laboratory Co. of America will post 14.84 EPS for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 5,048 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.45, for a total transaction of $1,102,735.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 5,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,100,114.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 259 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.06, for a total value of $57,513.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,695,872.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 5,048 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.45, for a total transaction of $1,102,735.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 5,036 shares in the company, valued at $1,100,114.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 54,305 shares of company stock valued at $11,761,059. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laboratory Co. of America

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Roundview Capital LLC grew its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 1.6% during the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 7,793 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,055,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 1.2% during the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 34,800 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $9,175,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 105.7% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 1,654 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $441,000 after buying an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America during the first quarter worth about $213,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 18.9% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 89,167 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $23,543,000 after buying an additional 14,186 shares in the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Laboratory Co. of America

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as a life sciences company that provides vital information to help doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and patients make clear and confident decisions. It operates in two segments, Labcorp Diagnostics (Dx) and Biopharma Laboratory Services (BLS).