Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Shares Acquired by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC boosted its position in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 81,348 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 5,309 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC owned 0.10% of Laboratory Co. of America worth $18,490,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LH. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 1.4% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 20,653 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $4,152,000 after buying an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,267 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,662,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 9,867 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,984,000 after acquiring an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 136,480 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $27,439,000 after acquiring an additional 24,239 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

LH stock traded up $1.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $201.32. 555,654 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 854,788. The firm has a market cap of $16.97 billion, a PE ratio of 40.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company's fifty day moving average price is $210.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $214.87. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 1-year low of $174.20 and a 1-year high of $234.09.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical research company reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.87 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 28th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Laboratory Co. of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $270.00 to $255.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet lowered shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Argus upgraded shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Friday, February 9th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $240.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $255.00 to $244.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $243.14.

Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, CFO Glenn A. Eisenberg sold 34,504 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.97, for a total transaction of $7,451,828.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,095,812.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 227 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 value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Glenn A. Eisenberg sold 34,504 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.97, for a total value of $7,451,828.88. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,095,812.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 57,244 shares of company stock valued at $12,360,478 in the last three months. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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).

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