Revenue Growth and Performance - Company's revenues from continuing operations increased by 2.5% to 12.2billionin2023,drivenbyacquisitions(1.79,415.1 in 2023, with organic Base Business contributing 10.7% growth, partially offset by a 10.5% decline in COVID-19 Testing[337] - BLS revenues increased by 2.9% to 2,774.2in2023,drivenbyorganicBaseBusinessgrowth(1.62,470.0, representing 30.0% of current BLS revenues[339] Cost and Expense Analysis - Cost of revenues increased by 7.9% to 8,796.7in2023,withcostofrevenuesasapercentageofrevenuesrisingto72.32,021.4 in 2023, primarily due to spin-off-related costs and higher personnel expenses[346] - General corporate expenses increased by 37.4% to 644.1 million in 2023, driven by spin-off transaction costs, personnel costs, and R&D expenses[366] - Interest expense increased by 11.0% to 199.6 million in 2023 compared to 179.8millionin2022,primarilyduetohigherinterestratesonvariableratedebtandincreasedborrowings[354]−Equitymethodincome,netdecreasedby125.95.4 million in 2023 from (1.4)millionin2022,drivenbythesaleofajointventureinterestandacquisitionofanotherjointventure[356]−Other,netincreasedto15.5 million in 2023 from (32.2)millionin2022,primarilydueto46.1 million in transition services fees charged to Fortrea[358] - Income tax expense decreased to 188.5millionin2023from233.9 million in 2022, with the effective tax rate rising to 33.1% due to goodwill impairment[360] Segment Performance - Dx segment operating income decreased by 21.4% to 1,591.3millionin2023,withoperatingmargindeclining510basispointsto16.9396.3 million in 2023, with operating margin slightly down by 10 basis points to 14.3%, due to demand growth and LaunchPad savings[365] Spin-off and Financial Transactions - Company completed the spin-off of Fortrea on June 30, 2023, with Fortrea distributing 1,600.0incashtotheCompany,whichwasusedforsharerepurchasesanddebtrepayment[330][333]−Fortreaissued570.0 of 7.500% senior secured notes due 2030 and entered into three floating SOFR credit facilities totaling 1,520.0priortothespin−off[332]−Thecompanyamendeditsrevolvingcreditfacilitytoafive−yearfacilitywithaprincipalamountofupto1,000.0 million, with an option to increase by an additional 500.0million,subjecttolenderagreement[381]ShareRepurchasesandDividends−Thecompanyrepurchased4.8millionsharesofitsCommonStockin2023atanaveragepriceof206.85 per share, totaling 1,000.0million,andaccrued9.0 million in excise tax related to the repurchase[384] - In 2022, the company repurchased 4.7 million shares of its Common Stock at an average price of 233.48pershare,totaling1,100.0 million[385] - The company paid 254.0millioninCommonStockdividendsfortheyearendedDecember31,2023,andannouncedacashdividendof0.72 per share for Q1 2024, totaling approximately 61.5million[386]CashFlowandCapitalExpenditures−Netcashprovidedbyoperatingactivitiesdecreasedby562.5 million to 1,202.3millionin2023,primarilyduetolowerCOVID−19testingearningsandhigherworkingcapital[374]−Capitalexpenditureswere453.6 million in 2023, representing 3.7% of revenues, with expected 2024 expenditures at approximately 3.5% of revenues[376] - Net cash used in financing activities increased to 1,559.0millionin2023,drivenby1,000.0 million in share repurchases and 300.0millioninseniornoterepayments[377]GoodwillandAssetImpairments−Companyrecorded349.0 in goodwill and other asset impairments in 2023, primarily due to 333.6ofgoodwillimpairmentfortheEarlyDevelopmentreportingunit[348]−Thecompanyrecordedagoodwillimpairmentof333.6 million in the BLS segment due to lower demand in the ED reporting unit, which is expected to continue into early 2024[416] Foreign Exchange and Currency Risk - Approximately 12.9% of the company's revenues for 2023 were denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, with significant exposure to the Canadian dollar, Swiss franc, euro, and British pound[424] - A hypothetical 10% change in average exchange rates would have impacted income before taxes by approximately 24.1millionin2023[424]−Thecompanyhad9openforeignexchangeforwardcontractswithanotionalvaluetotalingapproximately305.8 million at the end of 2023[425] - The company is party to USD to Swiss Franc cross-currency swap agreements with a notional amount of 600.0million,maturingin2024and2025[426]−Thecompanyenteredintofixed−to−variableinterestrateswapagreementsforthe2.70500.0 million[429] - The company's financial statements are reported in USD, and fluctuations in exchange rates affect the translation of revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies[424] - The company's gross accumulated currency translation adjustments were 183.1millionattheendof2023,comparedto(336.4) million at the end of 2022[424] Debt and Interest Rate Management - The company's debt is subject to variable interest rates, and it manages interest rate risk through a mix of fixed and variable rate debt, including interest rate swaps[427] Legal and Contingent Liabilities - The company's legal reserve is determined using historical loss rates and trends in settlements and defense costs, with reserves established for probable and estimable loss contingencies[422] Revenue Recognition - The company's Dx segment recognizes revenue when diagnostic testing is complete and results are reported, with revenues distributed among four payer portfolios: clients, patients, Medicare and Medicaid, and third-party payers[392] - The company's BLS segment recognizes revenue over time based on the extent of progress towards completion of performance obligations, with contracts typically taking the form of fixed-price or fee-for-service arrangements[400] Goodwill and Intangible Asset Assessment - The company assesses goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles for impairment annually or when events indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable, with an option to perform a qualitative assessment before a quantitative test[410] Liquidity and Financial Position - The company believes it has sufficient liquidity to meet its short-term and long-term cash needs for the next 12 months, based on current and projected cash flows and availability under its revolving credit facility[390] - The company provided letters of credit aggregating approximately 91.3millionasofDecember31,2023,primarilyforinsuranceprograms[389]−Thecompany′scontractualvalueofthenoncontrollinginterestputinitsOntariosubsidiarytotaled15.5 million at December 31, 2023[389]