3,396 Shares in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Purchased by Banco BTG Pactual S.A.

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,396 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $775,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 312.5% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 132 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 309.8% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 168 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 3,660.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 188 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LH opened at $233.55 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.12. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a fifty-two week low of $191.97 and a fifty-two week high of $258.59. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $245.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $234.49.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The medical research company reported $3.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.05. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 5.73% and a return on equity of 15.29%. As a group, analysts predict that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 16.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.65%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 6,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.62, for a total value of $1,497,319.02. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 86,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,146,175.90. This represents a 6.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $235,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 12,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,989,670. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,500 shares of company stock worth $3,577,572. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays decreased their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $271.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $262.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $269.92.

Laboratory Co. of America Company Profile

Labcorp Holdings, Inc engages in providing medical testing services. The company was founded on April 16, 2024 and is headquartered in Burlington, NC.