V Square Quantitative Management LLC Has $456,000 Position in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) by 24.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,006 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 389 shares during the quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Laboratory Co. of America were worth $456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LH. Sunpointe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the 4th quarter worth approximately $252,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 2,750.2% during the 4th quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 270,483 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $61,478,000 after acquiring an additional 260,993 shares during the last quarter. Concentric Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Concentric Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,103 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,342,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Redwood Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the 4th quarter worth $4,650,000. Finally, Vista Investment Management increased its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 3,508 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LH shares. SVB Leerink started coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Monday, February 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 target price on the stock. 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. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $234.00 to $213.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $261.00 to $243.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $255.00 to $244.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 6,477 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.29, for a total value of $1,407,387.33. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 5,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,094,272.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Laboratory Co. of America news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 3,553 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.74, for a total value of $770,077.22. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,655,243.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 6,477 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.29, for a total transaction of $1,407,387.33. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 5,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,094,272.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 18,469 shares of company stock valued at $3,959,058. 0.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Laboratory Co. of America Price Performance

NYSE LH opened at $199.88 on Monday. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 12-month low of $188.65 and a 12-month high of $234.09. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $202.08 and its 200-day moving average is $213.77. The company has a market capitalization of $16.85 billion, a PE ratio of 40.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical research company reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.12 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 3.52% and a return on equity of 14.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is 57.95%.

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).