Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Shares Acquired by Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 39.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 120,595 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 33,974 shares during the period. Laboratory Co. of America makes up approximately 1.5% of Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Laboratory Co. of America worth $27,410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,845,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,379 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,418,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,084 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $701,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 315 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arjuna Capital raised its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 1,819 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 6,477 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.29, for a total transaction of $1,407,387.33. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 5,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,094,272.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 237 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.45, for a total transaction of $53,668.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,729,398.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 6,477 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.29, for a total value of $1,407,387.33. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 5,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,094,272.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 54,305 shares of company stock valued at $11,761,059. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

Shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $205.73. 715,528 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 738,565. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $215.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $214.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.01. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a one year low of $174.20 and a one 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The medical research company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.29 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 3.24%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 28th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. Laboratory Co. of America's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LH. Barclays began coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $222.00 price target for the company. TheStreet lowered Laboratory Co. of America from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. SVB Leerink initiated coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Monday, February 26th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 price target for the company. Argus upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Monday, February 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Laboratory Co. of America has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $243.50.

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).