Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Shares Acquired by Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC

Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH – Get Rating) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Laboratory Co. of America were worth $2,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LH. Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America during the second quarter worth about $29,000. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 87.5% during the third quarter. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 63.0% in the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 176 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. 89.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Laboratory Co. of America

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 173 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.90, for a total value of $43,924.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,356,079.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Laboratory Co. of America news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 173 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.90, for a total value of $43,924.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,356,079.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 219 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.01, for a total value of $53,219.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,297,916.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,701 shares of company stock worth $2,178,302 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Laboratory Co. of America in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 17th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 17th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $250.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.50.

Laboratory Co. of America Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LH opened at $213.32 on Friday. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 52 week low of $200.32 and a 52 week high of $281.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $243.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.82. The company has a market cap of $18.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.39 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 16th. The medical research company reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 8.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.77 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 17.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 23rd were issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 22nd. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.78%.

About Laboratory Co. of America

(Get Rating)

Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings operates as a life sciences company, which engages in the provision of vital information to help health professionals make clear and confident decisions. It operates through the Drug Development and Diagnostics segments. The Drug Development segment consists of lead optimization, preclinical safety assessment, analytical services, clinical trials, central laboratories, biomarkers, and companion diagnostics, market access, and technology solutions.