Alexander Randolph Advisory Inc. Acquires Shares of 4,146 Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Alexander Randolph Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,146 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $942,000. Laboratory Co. of America makes up about 0.9% of Alexander Randolph Advisory Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 20.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,487,106 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $500,033,000 after buying an additional 424,684 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 102.6% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,219,291 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $446,189,000 after buying an additional 1,123,755 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 28.0% in the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,212,497 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $444,821,000 after buying an additional 483,878 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 644.2% in the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,280,884 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $257,522,000 after buying an additional 1,108,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 12.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,129,759 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $227,138,000 after purchasing an additional 126,602 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed 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. Leerink Partnrs restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $255.00 to $244.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $234.00 to $213.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $243.14.

Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America

In related news, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 6,477 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.29, for a total value of $1,407,387.33. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 5,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,094,272.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 3,500 shares of the company's 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 of the company's stock, valued at $863,727.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 6,477 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were 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 $1,094,272.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,305 shares of company stock worth $11,761,059. Insiders own 0.85% of the company's stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE LH traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $198.40. The company had a trading volume of 931,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 745,511. The business's 50-day moving average is $211.70 and its 200-day moving average is $214.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $16.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.01. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 52 week low of $174.20 and a 52 week high of $234.09.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical research company reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.46 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.12 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 3.52% and a return on equity of 14.68%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.82 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 24th. Laboratory Co. of America's payout ratio is presently 57.95%.

About Laboratory Co. of America

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).