DGX 1Q24 Results & Guidance

Indeed, top line growth is slow. And so, a bolus of fresh revenue from some or all of BRLI would surely give growth a boost. But the important thing for company owners was the 'forward-looking statements.' The guidance you cited of $8.72-$8.97 was a raise from the prior estimate of $8.60-$8.90. Attesting to the power of improved outlooks as fuel for valuation, even a modest bump in yearly profit range has propelled the stock up more than 4.5%. If the trend holds, it will rival or eclipse the biggest % daily gain since November 10, 2022. Profits, after all, are the mother's milk of stock prices. Phil Frost, in his 800+ years here on Earth, has regrettably never learned this.

In other news, Elias' 37,000+ shares of DHR are worth about $635,000 more today than they were yesterday. That company, on whose BOD he serves, posted lackluster results but.....the return of the company's typically solid growth is on the horizon, as conveyed by its very professional management. The stock, up nearly 7% today, is on a similar track to DGX, pushing toward the best intra-day gain in nearly 18 months. 

Another factoid for those whose rose-colored glasses prevent their seeing the easy math that explains the Opko shareholder problems: only 2 members of the BOD at Danaher receive cash as part of the compensation for their oversight duties at this 187 billion market cap company. All the rest, including Dr Zerhouni, have received for several years stock awards and options only.

It's really not that hard Phil: if you actually had some integrity and would GTFO, the company and its owners, including you by the way, might have a chance to make some money, by initiating some of the best practices at real companies like DHR. Companies which have made owners very very rich. Bagger, stick this in your valuation algorithm: since June of 2015, Danaher management has given shareholders a total return of 353%, including reinvested dividends (18.5%/year compounded). 1000 shares would've cost you $87,000; they're now worth $337,000. During that same period, Opko management has rewarded its owners with a return of -93%, a compounding rate of negative 26% per annum. Had God left his first of the month meeting with Phil on June 1, 2015 and decided to plunk down $87 grand on Opko and not Danaher, today he would have $6000 worth of Opko. And, to echo Bagger's favorite Yahoo adjective, poor Phil awarded himself just about $18 million in total compensation over those 9 years. The good doctor, that's one way of putting it. What we didn't know was that we really had Dr Kevorkian, and he was loaded up with a nine year supply of slow death injection juice.