Cerity Partners LLC Buys 5,105 Shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,435 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,105 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned 0.08% of Laboratory Co. of America worth $14,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. 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 worth $5,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 8,509 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,711,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the period. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning acquired a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America during the 4th quarter worth about $1,091,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 202.4% in the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 9,243 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,101,000 after buying an additional 6,186 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. SVB Leerink began coverage on shares of 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. Leerink Partnrs reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Monday, February 26th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Friday, February 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. 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 research report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $222.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Laboratory Co. of America presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $243.50.

Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 5,048 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 5,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,100,114.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Laboratory Co. of America news, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 5,048 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.45, for a total transaction of $1,102,735.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 5,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,100,114.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 3,500 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.29, for a total value of $760,515.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 3,975 shares in the company, valued at approximately $863,727.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 54,305 shares of company stock valued at $11,761,059 over the last 90 days. 0.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Laboratory Co. of America Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:LH traded down $0.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $205.73. The stock had a trading volume of 717,036 shares, compared to its average volume of 694,768. The firm has a market cap of $17.31 billion, a PE ratio of 44.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $215.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $214.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a twelve month low of $174.20 and a twelve month high of $234.09.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The medical research company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.29 by $0.01. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 13.99%. The company had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.14 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Laboratory Co. of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.67%.

Laboratory Co. of America 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).