Natixis Advisors L.P. Trims Position in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH)

Natixis Advisors L.P. reduced its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) by 24.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 128,464 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 42,645 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned about 0.15% of Laboratory Co. of America worth $29,197,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $5,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Laboratory Co. of America by 6.0% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 8,509 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,711,000 after acquiring an additional 484 shares during the period. Alexander Randolph Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Laboratory Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $942,000. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning acquired a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,091,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Laboratory Co. of America by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 64,435 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $14,645,000 after purchasing an additional 5,105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Friday, February 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. TheStreet lowered Laboratory Co. of America from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. SVB Leerink initiated 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. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $255.00 to $244.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.14.

Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance

LH opened at $201.32 on Friday. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a twelve month low of $174.20 and a twelve month high of $234.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.97 billion, a PE ratio of 40.51, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $210.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $214.70.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical research company reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.20. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 3.52%. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 14.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 28th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Laboratory Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Der Vaart Sandra D. Van sold 259 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.06, for a total value of $57,513.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,695,872.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CMO Amy B. Summy sold 227 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.45, for a total transaction of $49,588.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 3,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $842,998.55. The sale 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 259 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.06, for a total transaction of $57,513.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,637 shares in the company, valued at $1,695,872.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 57,244 shares of company stock valued at $12,360,478. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Laboratory Co. of America Profile

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).