1,184 Shares in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Bought by F M Investments LLC

F M Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,184 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Trust Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 2,567 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,084 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $701,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 22.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 315 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Arjuna Capital lifted its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 3.2% during the third quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 1,819 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 2.5% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,559 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $514,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

NYSE LH traded up $4.85 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $207.92. 925,306 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 738,850. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $212.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $214.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.52, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a fifty-two week low of $174.20 and a fifty-two week high of $234.09.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The medical research company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.29 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 3.24%. The business’s revenue was down 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.84 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on LH. TheStreet lowered Laboratory Co. of America from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Argus upgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 25th. Leerink Partnrs restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Monday, February 26th. SVB Leerink initiated coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Monday, February 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $222.00 price target on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 259 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.06, for a total value of $57,513.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,695,872.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 237 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.45, for a total value of $53,668.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,729,398.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 259 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.06, for a total value of $57,513.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,695,872.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 54,305 shares of company stock valued at $11,761,059 over the last 90 days. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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).