Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Shares Acquired by Tempus Wealth Planning LLC

Tempus Wealth Planning LLC increased its position in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) by 13.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,989 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC’s holdings in Laboratory Co. of America were worth $444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Laboratory Co. of America in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co lifted its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 172.6% in the 3rd quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 169 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE LH opened at $220.51 on Wednesday. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 12-month low of $191.97 and a 12-month high of $238.46. The company has a market cap of $18.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $222.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.08.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical research company reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.78 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.19 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 3.60%. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Lance Berberian sold 12,093 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.10, for a total transaction of $2,770,506.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,647,501.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Lance Berberian sold 12,093 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.10, for a total transaction of $2,770,506.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,647,501.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 586 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $131,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,722 shares in the company, valued at $3,312,450. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 29,679 shares of company stock worth $6,716,306 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LH shares. Bank of America upped their target price on Laboratory Co. of America from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. UBS Group increased their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays reduced their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $249.00 to $234.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $245.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Laboratory Co. of America from $278.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $251.85.

Laboratory Co. of America Profile

Labcorp Holdings Inc provides laboratory services. It operates through two segments, Diagnostics Laboratories and Biopharma Laboratory Services. The company offers various tests, such as blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, thyroid, PAP, hemoglobin A1C and vitamin D, prostate-specific antigens, sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis C, microbiology cultures and procedures, and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests.