Handelsbanken Fonder AB Increases Position in Labcorp Holdings Inc. $LH

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its Labcorp stake by 17.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 4,780 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 32,199 shares worth about $8.08 million.
• Labcorp’s recent earnings beat expectations, reporting $4.25 EPS on revenue of $3.54 billion, while also raising FY2026 guidance to 17.700-18.350 EPS.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with eight Buy ratings and three Hold ratings, and a consensus target price of $308, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 17.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,199 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,780 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Labcorp were worth $8,078,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LH. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Labcorp during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Labcorp during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Labcorp during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Labcorp during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC grew its stake in Labcorp by 300.0% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Labcorp

In other news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 548 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.91, for a total value of $156,130.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $734,782.89. This trade represents a 17.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian J. Caveney sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.31, for a total transaction of $429,465.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,619,935.17. This trade represents a 4.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 16,656 shares of company stock worth $4,524,961. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Labcorp from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Labcorp from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Labcorp in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Labcorp in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $334.00 target price on shares of Labcorp in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $308.00.

Labcorp Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LH opened at $255.70 on Friday. Labcorp Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $239.75 and a 52 week high of $293.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $265.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The medical research company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.09 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.51 billion. Labcorp had a net margin of 6.66% and a return on equity of 16.29%. The business's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.84 EPS. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.700-18.350 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Labcorp Holdings Inc. will post 17.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Labcorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.51%.

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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