Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Shares Bought by St. James Investment Company LLC

St. James Investment Company LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) by 17.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,056 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 310 shares during the period. Laboratory Co. of America accounts for approximately 0.1% of St. James Investment Company LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. St. James Investment Company LLC’s holdings in Laboratory Co. of America were worth $471,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the fourth quarter worth $239,811,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 344.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,123,409 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $263,161,000 after buying an additional 870,903 shares in the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the 4th quarter worth approximately $123,415,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 17.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,586,397 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $354,528,000 after acquiring an additional 230,708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 9.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,930,395 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $431,405,000 after acquiring an additional 167,137 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE LH opened at $229.75 on Monday. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a twelve month low of $191.97 and a twelve month high of $258.59. The stock has a market cap of $19.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.12. 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $244.80 and its 200-day moving average is $234.69.

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%. Equities research analysts predict that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 16.01 EPS for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. Laboratory Co. of America’s payout ratio is currently 32.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Laboratory Co. of America

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.62, for a total value of $1,497,319.02. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 86,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,146,175.90. This represents a 6.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $235,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 12,722 shares in the company, valued at $2,989,670. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,500 shares of company stock worth $3,577,572 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on LH. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $293.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. Bank of America lifted 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 downgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $269.92.

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.