William Blair Has Negative Forecast for LH Q1 Earnings

Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) – Analysts at William Blair cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Laboratory Co. of America in a research note issued on Monday, February 10th. William Blair analyst A. Brackmann now forecasts that the medical research company will earn $3.57 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $3.69. The consensus estimate for Laboratory Co. of America’s current full-year earnings is $15.96 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Laboratory Co. of America’s Q3 2025 earnings at $4.19 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $4.23 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $16.00 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $4.01 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.33 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $4.44 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $4.52 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $17.30 EPS.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $3.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $271.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. HSBC raised Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America increased 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 report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Laboratory Co. of America presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $265.31.

Laboratory Co. of America Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock opened at $241.05 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.07. Laboratory Co. of America has a 52-week low of $191.97 and a 52-week high of $258.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.44. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $230.48.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Laboratory Co. of America

In related news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.42, for a total transaction of $239,420.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,670 shares in the company, valued at $639,251.40. The trade was a 27.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 3,672 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,031,613.38. This trade represents a 45.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,383 shares of company stock worth $4,408,373. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Graney & King LLC purchased a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SouthState Corp bought a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN purchased a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 312.5% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 132 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co boosted its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 172.6% in the 3rd quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 169 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

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.