Labcorp (NYSE:LH) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.16 EPS

Labcorp (NYSE:LH) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The medical research company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.09 by $0.16, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $3.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.51 billion. Labcorp had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 6.66%.Labcorp’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. Labcorp updated its FY 2026 guidance to 17.700-18.350 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Labcorp’s conference call:

• Strong Q1 results — enterprise revenue of $3.5 billion (up ~6%), adjusted operating margin +30bps to 14.4%, and adjusted EPS up ~10.6% versus prior year.
• Raised full‑year guidance — company nudged the midpoint of revenue and EPS higher (FY EPS guide $17.70–$18.35, ~10% midpoint growth) and expects continued margin expansion.
• BLS / central lab momentum — Biopharma Lab Services revenue up 8% with central labs double‑digit growth, an $8.6 billion backlog and a trailing‑12‑month book‑to‑bill of 1.04 (≈$2.7B expected to convert in 12 months).
• Active strategic pipeline and innovation — completed targeted acquisitions and hospital collaborations (Crouse; near‑close Parkview), announced a nationwide CHOP partnership, growing consumer business (OnDemand) and launching the Labcorp Patient app plus AI/robotics partnerships to drive scale and efficiency.
• Near‑term headwinds and policy risk — Q1 weather disruption (~$15M), potential fuel/logistics pressure (~$5–10M), early‑development actions weighing on growth, and uncertainty around PAMA/RESULTS Act reimbursement (company models ~30 bps diagnostic volume impact).

Labcorp Stock Down 0.2%

LH traded down $0.43 during trading on Friday, reaching $256.37. 653,939 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 632,534. The stock has a market cap of $21.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.02. Labcorp has a fifty-two week low of $239.67 and a fifty-two week high of $293.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $270.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $267.48.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Labcorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on LH. Robert W. Baird set a $334.00 target price on Labcorp in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Labcorp from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Labcorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Labcorp in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Labcorp from $319.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Labcorp currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $308.00.

Labcorp News Summary

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

Insider Transactions at Labcorp

In related news, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 8,705 shares of Labcorp stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.96, for a total transaction of $2,437,051.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 80,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,613,209.08. This trade represents a 9.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 548 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.91, for a total value of $156,130.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $734,782.89. This represents a 17.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 16,113 shares of company stock worth $4,547,450 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Labcorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Labcorp by 15.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,105,791 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $604,488,000 after buying an additional 289,029 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Labcorp by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,391,978 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $349,220,000 after buying an additional 91,867 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Labcorp by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,304,191 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $327,215,000 after buying an additional 57,635 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Labcorp by 19.8% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,287,177 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $322,927,000 after buying an additional 213,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Labcorp by 4.0% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 726,090 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $208,431,000 after buying an additional 27,879 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

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.