American National Bank Acquires 5,325 Shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

American National Bank increased its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - Free Report) by 19.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,807 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,325 shares during the quarter. American National Bank's holdings in Laboratory Co. of America were worth $7,457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 29,947 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $6,021,000 after purchasing an additional 3,757 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 56.6% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 401 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 23,499 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $4,725,000 after acquiring an additional 1,752 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board raised its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 4,629 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $931,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 484 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Laboratory Co. of America

In other news, CFO Glenn A. Eisenberg sold 34,504 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 227 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.45, for a total transaction of $49,588.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 3,859 shares in the company, valued at $842,998.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Glenn A. Eisenberg sold 34,504 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 58,748 shares of company stock worth $12,670,956. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Laboratory Co. of America Price Performance

Shares of LH stock traded down $2.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $210.59. The company had a trading volume of 730,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 825,234. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 12-month low of $174.20 and a 12-month high of $234.09. The company has a market capitalization of $17.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.37, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $208.28 and a 200-day moving average of $215.22.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The medical research company reported $3.68 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.37%. Laboratory Co. of America's payout ratio is presently 57.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LH has been the subject of several recent research reports. TheStreet cut shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Barclays reduced their price objective 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. Truist Financial lowered their target price 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. SVB Leerink assumed coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Monday, February 26th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 price target for the company. Finally, Argus upgraded 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 report on Monday, March 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Laboratory Co. of America presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $243.14.

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).