Robert W. Baird Issues Positive Forecast for Labcorp (NYSE:LH) Stock Price

Labcorp (NYSE:LH) had its price target increased by Robert W. Baird from $313.00 to $326.00 in a research note released on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings raised Labcorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Labcorp in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Labcorp from $317.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Labcorp from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Labcorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Labcorp has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.75.

Labcorp Price Performance

Shares of LH opened at $279.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $264.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $268.99. Labcorp has a twelve month low of $209.38 and a twelve month high of $293.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The medical research company reported $4.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.95 by $0.12. Labcorp had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 16.16%. The firm had revenue of $3.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.550-18.250 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Labcorp will post 16.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Labcorp’s dividend payout ratio is 28.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Labcorp

In other news, EVP Jonathan C. Meltzer sold 87 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.42, for a total transaction of $25,266.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $807,948.44. This represents a 3.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 5,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $1,499,535.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,343 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,838,602.34. This represents a 5.69% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in Labcorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Labcorp in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Labcorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Labcorp during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Labcorp News

Here are the key news stories impacting Labcorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and ratings — JPMorgan bumped its price target to $330 and kept an “overweight” call, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its target to $326 and maintains an “outperform” rating, supporting the bullish analyst tone. The Fly
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat — Labcorp reported adjusted EPS of $4.07 versus the ~$3.95 consensus, reflecting ~18% EPS growth year‑over‑year and supporting margin/earnings momentum. Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance is constructive — Labcorp provided adjusted EPS guidance of $17.55–$18.25 and revenue guidance of $14.61B–$14.79B, with management citing strong demand for diagnostics and investments in specialty testing and lab capacity. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus and thematic coverage — Coverage summaries label Labcorp a “moderate buy” and highlight value/style scores (Zacks), which supports steady institutional interest but is not a near‑term catalyst. Consensus Coverage Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and deep dives available — Transcripts and analyst deep dives provide more color on volume trends, specialty testing growth and hospital partnerships for investors doing diligence. Deep Dive Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed estimates — Q4 revenue came in at $3.52B vs. ~ $3.56B expected, prompting some investor caution and a short‑term pullback in premarket trading. Seeking Alpha

Labcorp Company Profile

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.