SFE Investment Counsel Increases Position in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

SFE Investment Counsel lifted its position in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,527 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Laboratory Co. of America were worth $2,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 5.1% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 25,354 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,097,000 after buying an additional 1,237 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 6.0% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 8,509 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,711,000 after buying an additional 484 shares in the last quarter. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning bought a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,091,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 64,435 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $14,645,000 after buying an additional 5,105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 77.0% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 56,461 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $11,351,000 after buying an additional 24,558 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Price Performance

Shares of LH stock traded down $1.50 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $198.47. 372,991 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 731,056. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $214.63 and a 200 day moving average of $214.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 52-week low of $174.20 and a 52-week high of $234.09. The company has a market cap of $16.70 billion, a PE ratio of 42.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.01.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The medical research company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.29 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 13.99%. Laboratory Co. of America’s quarterly revenue was down 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.14 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. Laboratory Co. of America’s payout ratio is 61.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Laboratory Co. of America

In other news, CFO Glenn A. Eisenberg sold 34,504 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.97, for a total transaction of $7,451,828.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 23,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,095,812.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CFO Glenn A. Eisenberg sold 34,504 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.97, for a total transaction of $7,451,828.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 23,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,095,812.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 237 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.45, for a total transaction of $53,668.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,729,398.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 54,305 shares of company stock worth $11,761,059. Insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on LH shares. Argus raised shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 25th. SVB Leerink began coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Monday, February 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Barclays began coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $222.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI began coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Friday, February 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Finally, TheStreet downgraded Laboratory Co. of America from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Laboratory Co. of America currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.50.

About Laboratory Co. of America

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).