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

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The medical research company reported $3.45 earnings per share (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 Stock Down 0.9 %

Laboratory Co. of America stock traded down $2.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $245.61. 249,044 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 599,735. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $236.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $229.47. The firm has a market cap of $20.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.07. 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 Dividend Announcement

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 $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.71%.

Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 3,672 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.91, for a total value of $877,277.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 4,318 shares in the company, valued at $1,031,613.38. This represents a 45.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the director now owns 12,722 shares of the company’s stock, 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 90 days, insiders sold 24,572 shares of company stock valued at $5,915,209. Insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on LH. Barclays upped their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $249.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $262.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $282.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Laboratory Co. of America presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.62.

About Laboratory Co. of America

Labcorp Holdings, Inc engages in providing medical testing services. The company was founded on April 16, 2024 and is headquartered in Burlington, NC.