Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) is the world’s leading healthcare diagnostics company, providing comprehensive clinical laboratory services and end-to -end drug development support. The company’s strong competitive position, durable excess cash flow and exemplary management have been mainstays of the Laboratory Corp. investment thesis over many years. Various Weitz managed portfolios have been investors in the company over the past 10+ years. We initiated the position, as both the diagnostic lab and drug development market continued to experience healthy demand. A little over one year in, LabCorp’s $6 billion acquisition of Covance appears to be bearing early fruit in the form of new customer wins and central lab market share gains. With revenue and cost synergies on track, financial leverage returning to target levels and stable reimbursement, we believe this stock can compound wealth for years to come.
From Weitz Funds' Research Fund commentary 1st quarter.
