Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Has $19.87 Million Stock Holdings in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 14.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 87,417 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 10,997 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC owned 0.10% of Laboratory Co. of America worth $19,869,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 5.1% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 25,354 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $5,097,000 after buying an additional 1,237 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 6.0% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 8,509 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,711,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning bought a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,091,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 77.0% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 56,461 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $11,351,000 after buying an additional 24,558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 202.4% during the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 9,243 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,101,000 after buying an additional 6,186 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jonathan P. Divincenzo sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.49, for a total transaction of $107,745.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 3,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $732,881.49. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Jonathan P. Divincenzo sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.49, for a total transaction of $107,745.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 3,401 shares in the company, valued at approximately $732,881.49. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 5,048 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.45, for a total value of $1,102,735.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 5,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,100,114.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 54,305 shares of company stock worth $11,761,059 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LH has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Friday, February 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Argus raised shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $222.00 price objective for the company. Finally, SVB Leerink initiated coverage on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research note on Monday, February 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $243.50.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of LH traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $210.05. 713,730 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 734,676. The business has a 50 day moving average of $216.81 and a 200 day moving average of $214.78. The company has a market capitalization of $17.67 billion, a PE ratio of 44.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.01. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 1-year low of $174.20 and a 1-year high of $234.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The medical research company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.29 by $0.01. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 3.24%. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.14 earnings per share. Laboratory Co. of America's revenue for the quarter was down 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.84 EPS for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 27th were given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 26th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Laboratory Co. of America's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.67%.

Laboratory Co. of America Company Profile

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as a life sciences company that provides vital information to help doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and patients make clear and confident decisions. It operates in two segments, Labcorp Diagnostics (Dx) and Biopharma Laboratory Services (BLS).