Labcorp (NYSE:LH) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $315.77 and last traded at $314.8220, with a volume of 1136209 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $301.17.

Trending Headlines about Labcorp

Here are the key news stories impacting Labcorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Labcorp reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $4.99, ahead of the approximately $4.78–$4.79 consensus, while revenue rose 5.8% year over year to $3.73 billion, also exceeding expectations. Adjusted margins expanded, and earnings increased from $4.35 per share in the year-earlier period. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its fiscal 2026 outlook, forecasting EPS of $18.10 to $18.55 and revenue of approximately $14.71 billion to $14.83 billion. The increase reflects steady diagnostic-testing demand and continued growth in drug-development services. Labcorp second-quarter results release
• Positive Sentiment: Both major segments contributed to growth: Diagnostics Laboratories revenue increased 5.5% to $2.90 billion, while Biopharma Laboratory Services revenue rose 6.5% to $836.2 million. Labcorp also authorized an additional $1 billion for share repurchases, supporting potential per-share earnings growth. Labcorp revenue and capital allocation report
• Neutral Sentiment: Although the earnings and revenue beats were favorable, shares initially faced pressure in premarket trading, suggesting that investors may have expected an even stronger outlook or operating performance. The subsequent recovery indicates the market ultimately gave greater weight to the guidance increase and buyback authorization. Zacks earnings analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity was one-sided, with executives recording 14 sales and no purchases over the past six months. While these transactions may reflect diversification rather than a view on fundamentals, they could weigh modestly on sentiment. Insider trading data

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Labcorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Labcorp in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays set a $320.00 target price on shares of Labcorp in a report on Thursday. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Labcorp from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Labcorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.67.

Labcorp Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $273.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $270.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $25.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.89.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The medical research company reported $4.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.78 by $0.21. Labcorp had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 6.66%.The company had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.35 EPS. Labcorp’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.100-18.550 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Labcorp Holdings Inc. will post 18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Labcorp’s payout ratio is presently 25.51%.

Insider Transactions at Labcorp

In other news, EVP Kathryn W. Kyle sold 762 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.89, for a total value of $201,084.18. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,212.57. This trade represents a 16.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 5,903 shares of Labcorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.50, for a total transaction of $1,502,313.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 107,234 shares in the company, valued at $27,291,053. This trade represents a 5.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,991 shares of company stock valued at $1,796,696. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Labcorp in the fourth quarter valued at about $991,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Labcorp by 7.9% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,427 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Labcorp by 52.2% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 353,843 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $82,353,000 after buying an additional 121,304 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Labcorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,873,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Labcorp by 83.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 86,046 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $22,588,000 after buying an additional 39,087 shares during the period. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Labcorp

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.