Labcorp (NYSE:LH) Hits New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Labcorp shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $315.77 and rising 4.5%; the stock’s average analyst target is $315.33, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating.
• Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations: adjusted EPS was $4.25 versus a $4.09 estimate, while revenue rose 5.8% year over year to $3.54 billion. Management’s fiscal 2026 EPS guidance is $17.70–$18.35.
• Labcorp announced a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, equivalent to $2.88 annually and a 0.9% yield; institutional investors own approximately 95.94% of the company.

Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $315.77 and last traded at $314.8220, with a volume of 1136209 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $301.17.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Labcorp from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Labcorp from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Labcorp from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Labcorp in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Labcorp from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $315.33.

Labcorp Trading Up 4.5%

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 cap of $25.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $271.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $269.92.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The medical research company reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.09 by $0.16. Labcorp had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 6.66%.The business had revenue of $3.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.84 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.700-18.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Labcorp Holdings Inc. will post 18 EPS for the current year.

Labcorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be issued 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 of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. Labcorp's dividend payout ratio is 25.51%.

Insider Transactions at Labcorp

In related news, EVP Kathryn W. Kyle sold 762 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.89, for a total transaction of $201,084.18. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,813 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,006,212.57. This represents a 16.66% decrease in their position. The sale 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. Also, EVP Bryan T. Vaughn sold 234 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.19, for a total transaction of $66,968.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,746 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,930,637.74. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,991 shares of company stock worth $1,796,696. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Labcorp

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LH. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Labcorp by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,850,631 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,471,326,000 after purchasing an additional 37,197 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Labcorp by 103.1% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,356,825 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,343,922,000 after purchasing an additional 2,719,475 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in Labcorp by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,226,446 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $607,241,000 after purchasing an additional 22,170 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Labcorp by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,137,010 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $534,023,000 after buying an additional 13,775 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Labcorp by 15.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,105,791 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $604,488,000 after buying an additional 289,029 shares during the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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