Labcorp (NYSE:LH) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Labcorp (NYSE:LH) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 18.100-18.550 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 17.990. The company issued revenue guidance of $14.7 billion-$14.8 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $14.7 billion.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Labcorp in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Labcorp from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird set a $352.00 target price on Labcorp in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised Labcorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Labcorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Labcorp currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.27.

Labcorp Stock Down 1.9%

NYSE LH opened at $309.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.80. Labcorp has a one year low of $244.52 and a one year high of $316.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $274.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.01. The company has a market capitalization of $25.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.89.

Labcorp (NYSE:LH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The medical research company reported $4.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.71 billion. Labcorp had a return on equity of 16.74% and a net margin of 6.99%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.35 earnings per share. Labcorp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 18.100-18.550 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Labcorp will post 18.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Labcorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 11th. Investors of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. Labcorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.51%.

Insider Activity at Labcorp

In other news, EVP Kathryn W. Kyle sold 92 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.19, for a total value of $26,329.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,904 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,117,285.76. This represents a 2.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Adam H. Schechter sold 5,903 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.50, for a total value of $1,502,313.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 107,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,291,053. This trade represents a 5.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,991 shares of company stock worth $1,796,696. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Labcorp

Here are the key news stories impacting Labcorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Labcorp exceeded expectations in the second quarter, reporting adjusted EPS of $4.99 versus the $4.78 analyst consensus and revenue of $3.73 billion versus estimates of $3.71 billion. Revenue increased 5.8% year over year, supported by steady diagnostic-testing demand and growth in drug-development services. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $18.10-$18.55, above the roughly $17.99-$18.00 consensus, while forecasting revenue of approximately $14.71 billion-$14.83 billion. Diagnostics Laboratories revenue rose 5.5%, and Biopharma Laboratory Services revenue increased 6.5%. Labcorp second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Labcorp expanded its share-repurchase authorization by $1 billion, repurchased $353.8 million of stock during the quarter and paid $58.7 million in dividends. Truist Financial also raised its price target from $320 to $350 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying further upside from recent levels. Benzinga reference
• Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted continued investment in oncology, consumer health and technology initiatives. The earnings call transcripts provide additional detail on demand trends, margins and the updated outlook. Labcorp Q2 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings and revenue beats, LH shares fell in premarket trading and remain lower in active trading. The reaction indicates that investors may have viewed the results and raised outlook as insufficient relative to elevated expectations and the stock’s recent rally toward its 52-week high. Zacks market reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider-trading data shows company insiders made multiple sales and no purchases over the past six months, a potential sentiment headwind, although the transactions do not necessarily reflect management’s outlook. Quiver Quantitative report

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Labcorp during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Labcorp during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Labcorp by 300.0% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. EFG International AG acquired a new position in Labcorp in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Labcorp by 37.5% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 154 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.94% of the company’s stock.

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.