Stephens Inc. AR Has $261,000 Position in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Stephens Inc. AR cut its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,139 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 68 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Laboratory Co. of America were worth $261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LH. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,840,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at about $249,000. Cidel Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America in the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 9,787 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,244,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 190,322 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $43,645,000 after purchasing an additional 1,779 shares during the period. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,121 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.62, for a total transaction of $1,497,319.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 86,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,146,175.90. The trade was a 6.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Glenn A. Eisenberg sold 11,711 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.43, for a total transaction of $2,815,675.73. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,522,814.27. This trade represents a 27.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 24,504 shares of company stock valued at $5,905,692 in the last 90 days. 0.85% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Laboratory Co. of America Price Performance

Shares of LH stock opened at $246.74 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $20.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.98, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.07. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 12 month low of $191.97 and a 12 month high of $258.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $237.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.03.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last issued its quarterly 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%. Research analysts expect that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 15.96 EPS for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Laboratory Co. of America’s payout ratio is 32.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LH. Barclays dropped their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $271.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Laboratory Co. of America currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.31.

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.