Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 879 Shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,240 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 879 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Laboratory Co. of America were worth $2,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 3.2% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,342 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,840,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. SP Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. SP Asset Management LLC now owns 15,186 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,483,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,780 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,931,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 7,194 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,650,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

Shares of LH stock opened at $235.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market cap of $19.71 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $244.47 and a 200-day moving average of $233.94. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a one year low of $191.97 and a one year high of $258.59.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $3.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.05. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 5.73% and a return on equity of 15.29%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 16.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is 32.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Laboratory Co. of America

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 1,314 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.30, for a total value of $330,208.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $545,572.30. This trade represents a 37.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $235,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,989,670. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,500 shares of company stock worth $3,577,572 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $262.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $271.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Laboratory Co. of America presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.38.

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.