Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Holdings in Labcorp Holdings Inc. $LH

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in Labcorp to 9,850,631 shares (about 11.88% ownership), adding 37,197 shares in Q4 valued at roughly $2.47 billion.
• Labcorp beat Q4 EPS with $4.07 versus $3.95 expected while revenue of $3.52 billion slightly missed estimates, and management set FY2026 guidance of 17.55–18.25 EPS (analysts forecast ~17.67).
• Labcorp announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share (annualized $2.88) with an ex-dividend/record date of May 29 and payment on June 11, implying a yield of about 1.1%.

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,850,631 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 37,197 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.88% of Labcorp worth $2,471,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LH. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Motco purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 95.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LH. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Labcorp from $313.00 to $326.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Labcorp in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Labcorp from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Labcorp in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Labcorp from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Labcorp has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $307.20.

Labcorp Stock Performance

NYSE:LH opened at $257.38 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average is $271.20 and its 200 day moving average is $267.56. The firm has a market cap of $21.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.61, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.42. Labcorp Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $234.15 and a 52-week high of $293.72.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The medical research company reported $4.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.95 by $0.12. The business 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.45 EPS. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.550-18.250 EPS. Research analysts predict that Labcorp Holdings Inc. will post 17.67 EPS for the current year.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Labcorp's dividend payout ratio is 27.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jonathan C. Meltzer sold 87 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.42, for a total transaction of $25,266.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $807,948.44. This represents a 3.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian J. Caveney sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.31, for a total value of $429,465.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,107 shares in the company, valued at $8,619,935.17. This trade represents a 4.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 16,113 shares of company stock worth $4,547,450. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Labcorp Company 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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