Labcorp gains from narrower focus

Article Excerpt

LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA, or LABCORP, $217 is a buy. The company (New York symbol LH; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 84.0 million; Market cap: $18.2 billion; Dividend yield: 1.3%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.labcorp.com) provides clinical laboratory services from locations in the U.S., the U.K., Europe and Asia. On June 30, 2023, Labcorp spun off its Clinical Development business as Fortrea Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq symbol FTRE). Shareholders received one Fortrea share for each Labcorp share they held. The spinoff left Labcorp to better focus on faster-growing areas such as developing new diagnostics for cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and autoimmune and liver disease. In the quarter ended June 30, 2024, revenue rose 6.2%, to $3.22 billion from $3.03 billion a year earlier. Earnings before unusual items also gained 15.2%, to $3.94 a share from $3.42. For all of 2024, Labcorp will probably earn $14.57 a share, and the stock trades at an attractive 14.9 times that forecast. The $2.88 dividend yields 1.3%. Labcorp is a buy. buy…