Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Buys Shares of 13,507 Labcorp Holdings Inc. $LH

Key Points

• Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA initiated a new position in Labcorp, buying 13,507 shares worth about $3.39 million in the fourth quarter.
• Labcorp reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $4.25 per share topping estimates and revenue of $3.54 billion, up 5.8% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $308.

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA bought a new stake in shares of Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 13,507 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $3,389,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Labcorp by 48.8% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 122 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC increased its stake in Labcorp by 5.4% during the third quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 821 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Labcorp by 37.5% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 154 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Labcorp by 8.1% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 652 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $187,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Somerset Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Labcorp by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 861 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Labcorp Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LH opened at $253.99 on Monday. Labcorp Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $239.67 and a twelve month high of $293.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $20.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.50, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $269.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $266.77.

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

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Labcorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LH has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Labcorp from $319.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Labcorp in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Labcorp from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Labcorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Labcorp in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $308.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Labcorp

In other Labcorp news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 548 shares of the company'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 directly owned 2,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $734,782.89. This represents a 17.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 8,705 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.96, for a total transaction of $2,437,051.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 80,773 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,613,209.08. The trade was a 9.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 16,113 shares of company stock valued at $4,547,450 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

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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