Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Shares Purchased by Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC

Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 12.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,963 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 5,548 shares during the period. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC owned 0.06% of Laboratory Co. of America worth $11,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 5.1% in 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 buying an additional 1,237 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 484 shares during the period. Alexander Randolph Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at $942,000. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning acquired a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at $1,091,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 64,435 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $14,645,000 after purchasing an additional 5,105 shares during the period. 95.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Laboratory Co. of America Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:LH traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $201.32. The company had a trading volume of 765,346 shares, compared to its average volume of 768,151. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.88. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 1-year low of $174.20 and a 1-year high of $234.09. The firm has a market cap of $16.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $210.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $214.80.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical research company reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.48 by $0.20. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 3.52%. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.82 EPS. Laboratory Co. of America's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 28th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Laboratory Co. of America's payout ratio is presently 57.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 227 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.45, for a total transaction of $49,588.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 3,859 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $842,998.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 237 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.45, for a total transaction of $53,668.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,729,398.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 227 shares of the firm's 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 $49,588.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 3,859 shares in the company, valued at $842,998.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 56,744 shares of company stock worth $12,259,420. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partnrs reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Monday, February 26th. TheStreet lowered Laboratory Co. of America from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $270.00 to $255.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 26th. Barclays decreased their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $234.00 to $213.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, SVB Leerink started coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a research note on Monday, February 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 target price for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Laboratory Co. of America has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $243.14.

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).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.