Wall Street Zen Upgrades Labcorp (NYSE:LH) to "Buy"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Labcorp (NYSE:LH) from a "hold" to a "buy" in a report released Saturday.
• Labcorp beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $4.25 vs. $4.09 and revenue of $3.54B vs. $3.51B, and raised its FY2026 EPS guidance to a range of $17.70–$18.35.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive—eight Buys and three Holds—with an average price target of about $308 per share.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on LH. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Labcorp in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Labcorp from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Labcorp from $319.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Labcorp in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $334.00 target price on Labcorp in a research report on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $308.00.

Labcorp Stock Performance

NYSE:LH opened at $256.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Labcorp has a 1 year low of $239.67 and a 1 year high of $293.72. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $270.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $267.48. The company has a market cap of $21.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.51, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.02.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The medical research company reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.09 by $0.16. Labcorp had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 6.66%.The business had revenue of $3.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.84 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.700-18.350 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Labcorp will post 17.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brian J. Caveney sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.31, for a total transaction of $429,465.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,619,935.17. The trade was a 4.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 548 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.91, for a total value of $156,130.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $734,782.89. This represents a 17.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 16,113 shares of company stock worth $4,547,450. 0.84% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Labcorp

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dakota Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Labcorp by 98.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 10,303 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,958,000 after acquiring an additional 5,116 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in Labcorp by 166.6% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 12,111 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,477,000 after acquiring an additional 7,568 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Labcorp by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 44,795 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $12,859,000 after acquiring an additional 4,800 shares during the period. 8 Knots Management LLC boosted its holdings in Labcorp by 96.6% during the 3rd quarter. 8 Knots Management LLC now owns 204,859 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $58,807,000 after acquiring an additional 100,675 shares during the period. Finally, Cinctive Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Labcorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $3,297,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.94% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Labcorp

Here are the key news stories impacting Labcorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat Street estimates — EPS of $4.25 vs. $4.09 est. and revenue of $3.54B vs. $3.51B, with revenue up ~5.8% year‑over‑year. Management pointed to broad segment growth driving the beat. Labcorp Announces 2026 First Quarter Results; Raises Full Year 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY2026 guidance — EPS guidance range set to $17.70–$18.35 and revenue guidance roughly $14.7B–$14.8B, reflecting steady diagnostics demand that management says supports continued growth. Labcorp raises full-year forecasts on steady diagnostics demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst reaction was initially favorable — outlets noted pre‑market gains after the beat and the raised view, signaling positive near‑term sentiment from some desks. LH Stock Up in Pre-Market on Q1 Earnings & Revenue Beat, 2026 View Up
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials and call transcript are available for deeper review (slides, PR, and call transcript). Useful for investors who want line‑by‑line detail on margins, segment trends and cadence. Labcorp Holdings Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Labcorp Holdings Inc. (LH) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term valuation context: coverage pieces highlight LH as a value/quality name given its margin profile and ROE, which may attract income/value investors. Here's Why Labcorp Holdings (LH) is a Strong Value Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction turned muted/negative intraday — reasons include guidance that is only modestly above consensus (company range roughly in line with Street forecasts), possible profit‑taking after the beat, and limited incremental upside in margin guidance. This helps explain why the stock is down despite the beat. Compared to Estimates, Labcorp (LH) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

Labcorp Company Profile

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, commonly known as Labcorp NYSE: LH, is a global life sciences company that provides comprehensive clinical laboratory and drug development services. The company operates a broad network of laboratories, patient service centers and specialty testing sites to deliver diagnostic information and testing solutions that support patient care, clinical decision-making and population health initiatives.

Labcorp's core businesses encompass clinical laboratory testing and pharmaceutical development services.

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