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

Key Points

• Labcorp shares reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $326.89, while analysts maintained a generally positive outlook. Nine analysts rate the stock Buy and three rate it Hold, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $330.
• Labcorp reported quarterly EPS of $4.99, exceeding estimates of $4.78, while revenue rose 5.8% year over year to $3.73 billion. The company provided fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $18.10–$18.55.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.72 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.88 payout and a 0.9% yield. Insiders sold shares in recent months, though the transactions were conducted under pre-arranged plans and institutional investors own 95.94% of the stock.

Shares of Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $326.89 and last traded at $323.18, with a volume of 786484 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $318.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Labcorp from $300.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $352.00 price objective on shares of Labcorp in a report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $306.00 target price on shares of Labcorp in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Labcorp from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Labcorp from $308.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.00.

Labcorp Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm's fifty day moving average is $287.48 and its 200 day moving average is $275.09. The company has a market cap of $26.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.87.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical research company reported $4.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.21. Labcorp had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.74%. The firm had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.35 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.100-18.550 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Labcorp Holdings Inc. will post 18.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Labcorp's dividend payout ratio is 23.82%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 4,669 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.37, for a total value of $1,495,807.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 102,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,858,749.05. This trade represents a 4.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 shares were sold at an average price of $286.19, for a total transaction of $66,968.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,746 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,930,637.74. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. Insiders sold a total of 6,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,073,617 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UBS Group AG boosted its position in Labcorp by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 495,535 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $124,320,000 after buying an additional 10,706 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Labcorp by 106.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 57,981 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $15,470,000 after purchasing an additional 29,899 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Labcorp by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,137,010 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $534,023,000 after acquiring an additional 13,775 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Labcorp by 61.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 19,974 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $5,011,000 after purchasing an additional 7,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Labcorp by 103.1% in 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 buying an additional 2,719,475 shares during the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is 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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