Labcorp Holdings Inc. $LH Stock Holdings Lifted by First Trust Advisors LP

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Labcorp by 118.8% to 188,236 shares (about $54.0 million), and institutional investors now own roughly 95.94% of the stock.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $304.82, as several firms (including JPMorgan, Baird and Piper Sandler) recently raised ratings or price targets.
• Labcorp reported quarterly EPS of $4.07 (beating estimates) on $3.52 billion revenue (slightly below expectations), set FY2026 guidance at 17.55–18.25 EPS, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.72 (1.1% yield).

First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 118.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 188,236 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 102,190 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.23% of Labcorp worth $54,035,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the second quarter worth $25,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Motco acquired a new position in shares of Labcorp in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its stake in Labcorp by 300.0% in the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Labcorp by 48.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 122 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Labcorp in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Labcorp from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Labcorp from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Labcorp from $313.00 to $326.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Labcorp from $319.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $304.82.

Insider Activity at Labcorp

In other Labcorp news, EVP Jonathan C. Meltzer sold 87 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.42, for a total value of $25,266.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $807,948.44. This represents a 3.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian J. Caveney sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $8,619,935.17. The trade was a 4.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 16,113 shares of company stock worth $4,547,450 in the last 90 days. 0.84% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Labcorp Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Labcorp stock opened at $270.27 on Thursday. Labcorp Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $209.38 and a 1 year high of $293.72. The company has a market cap of $22.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $272.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $270.12.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The medical research company reported $4.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.95 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $3.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.56 billion. Labcorp had a return on equity of 16.16% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.45 EPS. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.550-18.250 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Labcorp Holdings Inc. will post 16.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Labcorp's payout ratio is presently 27.53%.

Labcorp Profile

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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