Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Lowers Stock Holdings in Labcorp Holdings Inc. $LH

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lessened its stake in Labcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LH) by 55.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,329 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 18,987 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Labcorp were worth $4,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LH. Bridgefront Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Labcorp in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $479,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Labcorp by 4.0% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 726,090 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $208,431,000 after purchasing an additional 27,879 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in shares of Labcorp by 14.7% during the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 11,652 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,345,000 after purchasing an additional 1,497 shares during the period. 8 Knots Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Labcorp by 96.6% during the third quarter. 8 Knots Management LLC now owns 204,859 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $58,807,000 after purchasing an additional 100,675 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Labcorp by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 258,820 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $74,299,000 after buying an additional 13,951 shares during the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Labcorp Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LH opened at $266.56 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $272.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.79. Labcorp Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $209.38 and a 12 month high of $293.72.

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

Labcorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Labcorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.53%.

Insider Transactions at Labcorp

In other Labcorp news, EVP Jonathan C. Meltzer sold 87 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $807,948.44. This trade represents a 3.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Brian J. Caveney sold 1,500 shares of Labcorp stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.31, for a total transaction of $429,465.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,619,935.17. The trade was a 4.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 16,113 shares of company stock worth $4,547,450. Corporate insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on LH shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Labcorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Labcorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Labcorp from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Labcorp in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Labcorp from $313.00 to $326.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $304.82.

About Labcorp

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.