Activists see value in these laggards

Article Excerpt

The shares of these two companies have languished in the past few years. Even so, these firms are resisting demands from activist investors for big changes, which will likely continue to hold back their stocks. HENRY SCHEIN INC. $77 is a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol HSIC; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 124.7 million; Market cap: $9.6 billion; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.henryschein.com) distributes dental and medical consumable products. It also provides software, technology and other value-added services to health-care practitioners. The company has more than one million customers worldwide and operations in 33 countries, including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. The company spun off its animal health business in February 2019. The spinoff then merged with the privately held Vets First Choice to form Covetrus Inc. (Nasdaq symbol CVET on Nasdaq). Schein shareholders received 0.4 shares of Covetrus for every Schein share they held. In October 2022, Covetrus was taken private by investment companies Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, and TPG Capital. Schein…