Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Labcorp “Moderate Buy”: Nine of 12 analysts recommend buying the stock, while three rate it a hold. The average 12-month price target is $330, with recent targets ranging from $306 to $355.
• Labcorp exceeded quarterly expectations: The company reported $4.99 in earnings per share versus the $4.78 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $3.73 billion and rose 5.8% year over year. Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance is $18.10–$18.55.
• Shares trade near their 52-week high and pay a dividend: LH opened at $326.83, compared with a 52-week range of $244.52–$341.80. Labcorp declared a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, representing a 0.9% annualized yield, while insiders sold $3.03 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Shares of Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $330.00.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Labcorp from $308.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Labcorp from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $306.00 price objective on shares of Labcorp in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays boosted their price objective on Labcorp from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $355.00 target price on shares of Labcorp in a research report on Monday, August 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Bryan Vaughn sold 234 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.19, for a total value of $66,968.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,746 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,930,637.74. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Kathryn Kyle sold 762 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.89, for a total transaction of $201,084.18. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,813 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,212.57. The trade was a 16.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 9,681 shares of company stock worth $3,027,677 in the last 90 days. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Labcorp

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Labcorp by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 218 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Labcorp by 1.7% in the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,418 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $645,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Labcorp by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,631 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $409,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its stake in Labcorp by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,126 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $282,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Labcorp by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 154 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Labcorp Stock Performance

Shares of LH stock opened at $326.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.80. The firm has a market cap of $26.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.88. Labcorp has a 52 week low of $244.52 and a 52 week high of $341.80. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $306.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $280.62.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical research company reported $4.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.71 billion. Labcorp had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.74%. Labcorp's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.35 EPS. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.100-18.550 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Labcorp will post 18.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Investors of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. Labcorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.82%.

About Labcorp

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, commonly known as Labcorp NYSE: LH, is a global life sciences company that provides comprehensive clinical laboratory and drug development services. The company operates a broad network of laboratories, patient service centers and specialty testing sites to deliver diagnostic information and testing solutions that support patient care, clinical decision-making and population health initiatives.

Labcorp's core businesses encompass clinical laboratory testing and pharmaceutical development services.

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