Labcorp (NYSE:LH) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Labcorp from a "buy" to a "hold" in a research note, marking a recent analyst reassessment of the stock.
• Despite that downgrade, the Street consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with eight Buy ratings versus three Holds and a consensus price target of $307.70, while several firms (e.g., JPMorgan, Robert W. Baird) have recently raised price targets.
• Labcorp beat quarterly EPS expectations ($4.07 vs. $3.95) but slightly missed revenue estimates, issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 17.55–18.25, and has seen modest insider selling with insiders owning about 0.84% of shares.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

LH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Labcorp from $313.00 to $326.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Labcorp in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Labcorp from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Labcorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Labcorp from $319.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Labcorp currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $307.70.

Labcorp Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Labcorp stock opened at $274.16 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of $274.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $269.00. Labcorp has a 1 year low of $209.38 and a 1 year high of $293.72.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Labcorp had a return on equity of 16.16% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business had revenue of $3.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.45 EPS. Labcorp's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.550-18.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Labcorp will post 16.01 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Labcorp

In other news, EVP Jonathan C. Meltzer sold 87 shares of Labcorp 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,782 shares in the company, valued at $807,948.44. This trade represents a 3.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 548 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.91, for a total transaction of $156,130.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $734,782.89. This represents a 17.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 16,113 shares of company stock valued at $4,547,450 over the last ninety days. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Labcorp

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LH. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Labcorp in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in Labcorp during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Labcorp during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Labcorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Labcorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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