Labcorp Holdings 10-K 2020-12-31

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

[☒] Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

or

[☐] Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from ______ to ______

Commission file number - 1-11353

LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA HOLDINGS

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code) 336-229-1127

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes [X] No [ ].

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes [ ] No [X].

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X] No [ ].

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes [X] No [ ].

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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If emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes ☒ No [ ].

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes [☐] No [X].

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $15.2 billion, based on the closing price on such date of the registrant’s common stock on the New York Stock Exchange.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant's classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: 97.6 million shares as of February 24, 2021.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

List hereunder the following documents if incorporated by reference and the Part of the Form 10-K into which the document is incorporated:

Portions of the Registrant’s Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement to be filed no later than 120 days following December 31, 2020, are incorporated by reference into Part III.

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Investors should carefully consider all of the information set forth in this Annual Report, including the following risk factors, before deciding to invest in any of the Company’s securities. The risks below are not the only ones that the Company faces. Additional risks not presently known to the Company, or that it presently deems immaterial, may also negatively impact the Company. The Company’s business, consolidated financial condition, revenues, results of operations, profitability, reputation or cash flows could be materially impacted by any of these factors.

Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The effects of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic could have material adverse impacts on the Company’s business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial position.

The Company is closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all aspects of its business. In the second half of March 2020, daily volume for routine tests started to decline as a result of decreased consumer demand driven by a significant reduction in physician office visits, the cancellation of elective medical procedures, and the negative impacts on discretionary spending resulting from the economic downturn, among other factors. In addition, the performance of the Company’s drug development business was challenged by COVID-19 due to actions that clients have taken and are taking that slowed clinical trial progress and the associated testing as well as restrictions in trial site access in certain countries and interruptions in the supply chain. Given the continued unpredictability pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding government restrictions and customer behavior, the impact on the Company's business continues to be uncertain and depends on a number of evolving factors that the Company may not be able to predict or effectively respond to.

The further spread of COVID-19, including the rise of variants, and the Company’s initiatives to help limit the spread of the illness, will impact the Company’s ability to carry out its business as usual, which could materially adversely impact its business and financial condition. The Company has incurred additional costs in order to provide for the safety of its employees and the continuity of its operations, including increased frequency of deep cleaning and sanitation at each of its physical locations, additional safety training and processes, enhanced hygiene practices and materials, flexible and remote working where possible, and allowing for greater social distancing for the Company’s employees who must work on-site. Additionally, the Company has made a number of changes at the Company’s patient service centers for the comfort and safety of the patients, many of which have also increased costs for the Company. For example, the Company has set aside the first business hour of every day for vulnerable patients, launched a mobile check-in process that allows patients to wait for their appointment from within their car or other nearby location, and increased sanitation and disinfection in check-in areas, waiting rooms, bathrooms, and hallways with CDC-approved disinfectants.

The Company faces increased cybersecurity risks due to the number of employees that are working remotely in regions impacted by stay-at-home orders. Increased levels of remote access create additional opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities, and employees may be more susceptible to phishing and social engineering attempts. The Company may also be subject to increased cyber-attacks, such as phishing attacks by threat actors using the attention placed on the pandemic as a method for targeting the Company's personnel. In addition, technological resources may be strained due to the number of remote users.

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Adverse changes in government and third-party payer regulations, reimbursement, or coverage policies (or in the interpretation of current regulations) relating to COVID-19 testing could materially impact the Company's results of operations, cash flows and financial position.

The Company expects to continue to incur additional costs, which may be significant, as it continues to implement operational changes in response to this pandemic. Further, the COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted and could continue to disrupt the Company’s supply chain, including by impacting its ability to secure test collection supplies, equipment and testing supplies for its facilities, personal protective equipment for its employees in its testing locations, patient service centers, and drug development clinics. For similar reasons, the COVID-19 pandemic has also adversely impacted, and may continue to adversely impact, third parties that are critical to the Company’s business, including vendors, suppliers, and business partners. These developments, and others that are difficult or impossible to predict, could materially impact the Company’s business, financial results, cash flows, and financial position.

During 2020, the Company diverted resources to developing and enhancing the accessibility of COVID-19 testing, while at the same time taking certain steps with respect to its business strategy in order to increase cash flexibility. For example, the Company temporarily suspended its share repurchase program, applied a heightened threshold to acquisition activity, and delayed some of its non-COVID-19 related capital expenditures. These measures, and any other measures the Company has taken and will continue to take to mitigate COVID-19, may be insufficient to ensure the financial stability of the Company, or may have other adverse impacts on the Company’s business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial position. Additionally, if the pandemic continues for an extended period of time, the Company may be forced to prioritize its application of resources to the continued mitigation of COVID-19, at the expense of other potentially profitable opportunities or initiatives, such as through the development of new products or selected business acquisitions.

If the Company does not respond appropriately to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, or if the Company’s customers do not perceive its response to be adequate, the Company could suffer damage to its reputation, which could adversely affect its business.

On March 11, 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic and containment and mitigation measures were recommended; six days prior to this characterization, the Company announced the availability of its Labcorp 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) PCR test, which detects the presence of the underlying virus that causes COVID-19, for use with patients who meet current guidance for evaluation of infection with COVID-19. On April 9, 2020, the Company announced an agreement to collaborate on a comprehensive U.S.-based COVID-19 patient data registry. The Company also launched a self-collection kit for its COVID-19 PCR test under an emergency use authorization from the FDA, expanded availability of antibody tests to detect antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19, and launched a series of innovations to increase test capacity, throughput, and efficiency to maximize the use of supplies. The Company performed approximately 35 million COVID-19 tests in 2020, which represents about 31 million PCR tests and over 4 million antibody tests. As of February 25, 2021, the Company has the capacity to perform 275,000 PCR tests per day, but the Company's testing capacity is dependent on access to multiple testing platforms and the availability of equipment and testing supplies and key personnel. The Company's central laboratory business has also seen a significant increase in demand for sample collection supplies and kits and for clinical trials testing, which has put some pressure on the Company's supply chain and caused some delays in delivery of kit orders and clinical trial testing r

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None.

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The Company's corporate headquarters are located in Burlington, North Carolina, and include facilities that are both owned and leased.

Labcorp Diagnostics (Dx) operates through a network of patient service centers, branches, rapid response laboratories, primary laboratories, and specialty laboratories. The table below summarizes certain information as to Dx's principal operating and administrative facilities as of December 31, 2020.

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Labcorp Drug Development (DD) operates on a global scale. The table below summarizes certain information as to DD's principal operating and administrative facilities as of December 31, 2020.

All of the Company’s primary laboratory and drug development facilities have been built or improved for the purpose of providing commercial laboratory testing or drug development services. The Company believes that these existing facilities and plans for expansion are suitable and adequate and will provide sufficient production capacity for the Company's currently foreseeable level of operations. The Company believes that if it were unable to renew a lease or if a lease were to be terminated on any of the facilities it presently leases, it could find alternate space at competitive market rates and readily relocate its operations to such new locations without material disruption to its operations.

See Note 16 Commitments and Contingencies to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Not applicable.

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PART II

Market Information

The Company's common stock, par value $0.10 per share, or Common Stock, trades on the New York Stock Exchange or NYSE under the symbol “LH.”

Holders

On February 24, 2021, there were approximately 1,398 holders of record of the Common Stock.

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent for the Company's Common Stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Shareholder Services, 6201 Fifteenth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219, telephone: 800-937-5449, website: www.amstock.com.

Dividends

The Company has not historically paid dividends on its Common Stock and does not presently anticipate paying any dividends on its Common Stock in the foreseeable future.

Common Stock Performance

The graph below shows the cumulative total return assuming an investment of $100 on December 31, 2015, in each of the Company’s common stock, the Standard & Poor’s, or S&P Composite-500 Stock Index and the S&P 500 Health Care Index, or Peer Group, and assuming that all dividends were reinvested.

Comparison of Cumulative Total Return

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Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities (all amounts in millions, except per share amounts)

The following table sets forth information with respect to purchases of shares of the Company’s Common Stock made during the quarter ended December 31, 2020, by or on behalf of the Company:

At the end of 2019, the Company had outstanding authorization from the board of directors to purchase $900.0 of Company common stock. During three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company purchased 0.6 shares of its common stock at an average price of $178.85 for a total cost of $100.0. When the Company repurchases shares, the amount paid to repurchase the shares in excess of the par or stated value is allocated to additional paid-in-capital unless subject to limitation or the balance in additional paid-in-capital is exhausted. Remaining amounts are recognized as a reduction in retained earnings. The Company reinstated its share repurchase program in October 2020 following the temporary suspension of stock repurchases beginning in March 2020 as a result of the anticipated impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of 2020, the Company had outstanding authorization from the board of directors to purchase up to $800.0 of the Company's common stock. The repurchase authorization has no expiration date.

Not applicable.

General

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company's revenues grew by 21.0%, due to organic growth of 19.0%, acquisitions of 1.8% and favorable foreign currency translation of 0.4%, partially offset by the disposition of a business of 0.2%. The 19.0% increase in organic revenues includes the 24.1% contribution from PCR and antibody COVID-19 testing (COVID-19 Testing), partially offset by the 5.1% reduction in the Company's organic Base Business due to the pandemic. Base Business includes the Company's business operations except for COVID-19 Testing. The decline in the organic Base Business includes the negative impact of the U.S. Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA) of 0.6%.

The Company defines organic growth as the increase in revenue excluding revenue from acquisitions for the first twelve months after the close of each acquisition.

In March 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. COVID-19 has had and continues to have an extensive impact on the global health and economic environments. Given the continued unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding government restrictions and customer behavior, there are a wide-range of feasible financial results for 2021. Throughout 2020, the Company's COVID-19 Testing has helped to offset the pressure experienced in the Base Business. To date, the Company has performed more than 18 million PCR and 3.0 million antibody COVID-19 tests and as of February 25, 2021, has the capacity to perform 275,000 PCR and 300,000 antibody tests per day, subject to the availability of equipment and testing supplies and key personnel.

During 2020, the Company recorded goodwill and other asset impairment charges of $462.1, $450.5 within DD and $11.6 within Dx, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company concluded that the fair value was less than carrying value for two of its reporting units and recorded goodwill impairment of $418.7 and $3.7 for DD and Dx, respectively. Additional impairment of identifiable intangible and tangible assets of $31.5 and $7.9 was recorded for DD and Dx, respectively, for impairment of a tradename, software, customer relationships, technology assets, and a note receivable.

There remains significant uncertainty regarding the duration and severity of the pandemic and its impact on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial position for 2021. For more information regarding the risks associated with COVID-19 and its impact on the Company’s business, see Risk Factors in Part I - Item 1A. The Company expects Phase II of Dx’s LaunchPad initiative to deliver approximately $200.0 in net savings by the end of 2021, while incurring approximately $40.0 in one-time implementation costs. Approximately one-third of the total savings are expected to be realized in 2021, and one-third of the total savings have been realized in each of 2019 and 2020.

PAMA, which went into effect on January 1, 2018, resulted in a net reduction of revenue of approximately $72.0 and $107.0 in 2020 and 2019, respectively from all payers affected by the Clinical Lab Fee Schedule.

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Results of Operations

The following tables present the financial measures that management considers to be the most significant indicators of the Company's performance. For discussion of 2019 results and comparison with 2018 results refer to “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations” in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

Years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Revenues

The 21.0% increase in revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared with the corresponding period in 2019 was primarily due to organic growth of 19.0%, acquisitions of 1.8% and favorable foreign currency translation of 0.4%, partially offset by the disposition of a business of 0.2%. The 19.0% increase in organic revenues includes the 24.1% contribution from COVID-19 Testing, partially offset by the 5.1% reduction in the Company's organic Base Business, which the Company believes was due to the pandemic. The decline in the organic Base Business includes the negative impact of PAMA of 0.6%.

Dx revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020, were $9,253.4, an increase of 32.2% over revenues of $7,000.1 in the corresponding period in 2019. The increase in revenues was due to organic growth of 30.9% and acquisitions of 1.3%. The 30.9% increase in organic revenue was due to a 39.8% contribution from COVID-19 Testing, partially offset by an 8.9% decline of the organic Base Business which includes a 1.0% negative impact from PAMA.

Total volume, measured by requisitions, increased by 7.8% as organic volume increased by 6.5% and acquisition volume contributed growth of 1.3%. The organic volume growth is due to demand for COVID-19 Testing of 21.2%, partially offset by a 14.7% reduction of organic Base Business. Price/mix increased by 24.4% due to COVID-19 Testing of 18.6% and Base Business of 5.8%. The Base Business price includes the negative impact from PAMA of 1.0%.

DD revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020, were $4,877.7, an increase of 6.5% over revenues of $4,578.1 in the corresponding period in 2019. The increase in revenues was due to the benefit of acquisitions of 2.6%, favorable foreign currency translation of 0.9% and organic growth of 3.5%, partially offset by a business disposition of 0.5%. The increase in organic revenue was primarily driven by COVID-19 PCR testing through its Central Laboratories unit along with broad based demand including COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic work, partially offset by the negative impact from the pandemic. The pandemic continues to cause delays in clinical trial progression and associated testing, reductions in investigator site access, as well as interruptions to the supply chain.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues (primarily laboratory, labor and distribution costs) increased 8.7% in 2020 as compared with 2019 primarily due to organic growth and acquisitions. Cost of revenues as a percentage of revenues decreased to 64.6% in 2020 as compared to 71.9% in 2019. This decrease was primarily due to the impact of COVID-19 Testing on revenues and LaunchPad savings, partially offset by PAMA and higher personnel costs (primarily driven by merit increases and one additional payroll day that predominantly impacted Dx).

During 2020, the Company incurred special charges of $1.9 of acquisition and divestiture related costs, $36.5 in COVID-related costs, and $1.1 related to miscellaneous other items. Additionally, the Company recorded COVID-19 related accounts receivable reserves of $17.0, which are recorded as a reduction o

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Market risk is the potential loss arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices, such as foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and other relevant market rate or price changes. In the ordinary course of business, the Company is exposed to various market risks, including changes in foreign currency exchange and interest rates, and the Company regularly evaluates the exposure to such changes. The Company addresses its exposure to market risks, principally the market risks associated with changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates, through a controlled program of risk management that includes, from time to time, the use of derivative financial instruments such as foreign currency forward contracts, cross currency swaps and interest rate swap agreements. Although, as set forth below, the Company’s zero-coupon subordinated notes contained features that were considered to be embedded derivative instruments, the Company does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading purposes.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rates

Approximately 10.7% and 12.7% of the Company's revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, were denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar (USD). The Company's financial statements are reported in USD and, accordingly, fluctuations in exchange rates will affect the translation of revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies into USD for purposes of reporting the Company's consolidated financial results. In both 2020 and 2019, the most significant currency exchange rate exposures were to the Canadian dollar, Swiss franc, euro and British pound. Excluding the impacts from any outstanding or future hedging transactions, a hypothetical change of 10% in average exchange rates used to translate all foreign currencies to USD would have impacted income before income taxes for 2020 by approximately $9.1. Gross accumulated currency translation adjustments recorded as a separate component of shareholders’ equity were $264.1 and $104.4 at December 31, 2020, and 2019, respectively. The Company does not have significant operations in countries in which the economy is considered to be highly inflationary.

The Company earns revenue from service contracts over a period of several months and, in some cases, over a period of several years. Accordingly, exchange rate fluctuations during this period may affect the Company's profitability with respect to such contracts. The Company is also subject to foreign currency transaction risk for fluctuations in exchange rates during the period of time between the consummation and cash settlement of transactions. The Company limits its foreign currency transaction risk through exchange rate fluctuation provisions stated in some of its contracts with customers, or it may hedge transaction risk with foreign currency forward contracts. At December 31, 2020, the Company had 31 open foreign exchange forward contracts with various amounts maturing monthly through January 2021 with a notional value totaling approximately $601.2. At December 31, 2019, the Company had 34 open foreign exchange forward contracts with various amounts maturing monthly through January 2020 with a notional value totaling approximately $369.2.

The Company is party to USD to Swiss Franc cross-currency swap agreements with a notional amount of $600.0, maturing in 2022 and 2025, as a hedge against the impact of foreign exchange movements on its net investment in its Swiss Franc functional currency subsidiary.

Interest Rates

Some of the Company's debt is subject to interest at variable rates. As a result, fluctuations in interest rates affect the Company's financial results. The Company attempts to manage interest rate risk and overall borrowing costs through an appropriate mix of fixed and variable rate debt including the utilization of derivative financial instruments, primarily interest rate swaps.

Borrowings under the Company's term loan credit facilities and revolving credit facility are subject to variable interest rates, unless fixed through interest rate swaps or other agreements. As of December 31, 2020, and 2019, the Company had approximately $375.0 and $375.0, respectively, of unhedged variable rate debt under the 2019 term loan credit facility.

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Each quarter-point increase or decrease in the variable rate would result in the Company's interest expense changing by approximately $0.9 per year for the Company's unhedged variable rate debt.

During the third quarter of 2013, the Company entered into two fixed-to-variable interest rate swap agreements for its 4.625% Senior Notes due 2020 with an aggregate notional amount of $600.0 and variable interest rates based on one-month London Interbank Offered Rate **(**LIBOR) plus 2.298% to hedge against changes in the fair value of a portion of the Company's long-term debt. The Company exited one of these swap arrangements in December 2019 in connection with the redemption of $187.9 of the 4.625% Senior Notes due 2020 and recorded a gain of $1.6. The Company exited the remaining fixed-to-variable interest rate swap agreement in August 2020, in connection with the redemption of the remaining $412.2 of its 4.625% Senior Notes due November 15, 2020, and recorded a gain of $1.6 on the extinguishment.

On December 19, 2019, the Company redeemed any remaining outstanding zero-coupon subordinated notes due 2021 (the zero-coupon notes) that had not previously converted.

The consolidated financial statements of the Company required in this item are set forth beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

None.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report, the Company carried out under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). Based upon this evaluation, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) during the quarter ended December 31, 2020, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Report of Management on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The Company's management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934).

The internal control over financial reporting at the Company was designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

• pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company;

• provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S.;

• provide reasonable assurance that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorization of management and directors of the Company; and

• provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.

The Company's management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. Management based this assessment on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in “Internal Control - Integrated Framework 2013” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the

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Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on this assessment, the Company's management determined that, as of December 31, 2020, the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting. Management reviewed the results of its assessment with the Audit Committee of the Company’s board of directors.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, who audited and reported on the consolidated financial statements of the Company included in this Annual Report, also audited the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, as stated in its report, which is included herein immediately preceding the Company’s audited financial statements.

None.

PART III

The information required by the item regarding directors is incorporated by reference to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held in 2021 (the 2021 Proxy Statement) under the caption Election of Directors. Information regarding executive officers is incorporated by reference to the Company’s 2021 Proxy Statement under the caption Executive Officers. Information concerning the Company’s Audit Committee, including the designation of audit committee financial experts and information regarding compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act responsive to this item is incorporated by reference to the Company’s 2021 Proxy Statement under the captions Corporate Governance and Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports, respectively. Information concerning the Company's code of ethics is incorporated by reference to the Company's 2021 Proxy Statement under the caption Corporate Governance Policies and Procedures.

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to information in the 2021 Proxy Statement under the captions “Executive Compensation” and “Director Compensation.”

See Note 15 Stock Compensation Plans to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the Company’s Stock Compensation Plans. Except for the above referenced footnote, the information called for by this item is incorporated by reference to information in the 2021 Proxy Statement under the captions “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Holders and Management,” “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” and “Executive Compensation.”

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to information in the 2021 Proxy Statement under the captions “Board Independence” and “Related Party Transactions.”

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to information in the 2021 Proxy Statement under the caption “Fees to Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.”

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PART IV

(a) List of documents filed as part of this Annual Report:

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None.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Annual Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA HOLDINGS

Registrant

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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Annual Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant on February 25, 2021 in the capacities indicated.

• Sandra van der Vaart, by her signing her name hereto, does hereby sign this Annual Report on behalf of the directors of the Registrant after whose typed names asterisks appear, pursuant to powers of attorney duly executed by such directors and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

F-1

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive earnings, changes in shareholders' equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

Change in Accounting Principle

As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for leases in 2019.

Basis for Opinions

The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the Report of Management on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and

F-2

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expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Valuation of Labcorp Diagnostics Segment (Dx) Net Accounts Receivable

As described in Notes 2 and 7 to the consolidated financial statements, the Dx business’s revenues are distributed among four payer portfolios - clients, patients, Medicare and Medicaid, and third-party. Dx accounts receivable due from these payer portfolios was $1,515.5 million as of December 31, 2020. Management has a formal process to estimate implicit price concessions for uncollectable accounts. Management considers negotiated discounts and anticipated adjustments, including historical collection experience for each of the payer portfolios, when revenues and accounts receivable are recorded. Anticipated write-offs are recorded as an adjustment to revenue and at an amount considered necessary to record the revenue at its net realizable value. In addition to contractual discounts, other adjustments including anticipated payer denials and other external factors that could affect the collectibility of its receivables are considered when determining revenue and the net receivable amount.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the valuation of Dx net accounts receivable is a critical audit matter are the significant judgment and estimation by management to determine net accounts receivable related to the Dx segment, which led to a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity and effort in performing procedures and in evaluating the audit evidence related to the valuation of net Dx accounts receivable.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to the valuation of Dx net accounts receivable. These procedures also included, among others, testing management's process for developing the estimate of net accounts receivable, and the relevance of historical billing and collection data as an input to the analysis; testing the accuracy of a sample of revenue transactions and a sample of cash collections from the historical billing and collection data which is used in management’s analysis; and performing a retrospective comparison of actual cash collected to the prior year estimate of net accounts receivable.

Revenue Recognition - Estimating Costs to Complete for Clinical Research Services

As described in Note 21 to the consolidated financial statements, Labcorp Drug Development (DD) revenue was $4,877.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Clinical services utilizing the input-based measure of progress account for 50% of DD revenue. The majority of clinical development and commercialization service long-term contracts within the DD segment are service contracts for clinical research that represent a single performance obligation (e.g., management of a clinical study). Revenue for these service contracts is recognized over time based on the progress of the performance obligation which was measured by the proportion of the actual costs incurred to the total costs expected to complete the contract (including labor and pass-through costs such as investigator grants and reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses). This cost-based method of revenue recognition required management to estimate the costs to complete these service contracts on an ongoing basis.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to estimating costs to complete for clinical research services is a critical audit matter are the significant judgment and estimation by management when developing the costs to complete, including the labor and third party costs to complete the service contracts, which led to a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity and effort in performing procedures and in evaluating evidence related to the cost estimates made by management.

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Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to the revenue recognition process, including controls over the estimated costs to complete. These procedures also included, among others, testing management's process for estimating cost to complete the service contracts, testing, for certain contracts, actual costs incurred and evaluating the reasonableness of management’s estimation of costs to complete projects, including labor and third party costs to complete service contracts; and evaluating whether the assumptions used were reasonable by performing a retrospective comparison of current year project costs to historical cost estimates made by management.

Goodwill Impairment Assessment - Two Reporting Units within the DD Segment

As described in Notes 1 and 9 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s consolidated goodwill balance was $7,751.5 million as of December 31, 2020, and the goodwill associated with the Company’s DD segment was $3,951.3 million. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded goodwill impairment of $418.7 million for one of its reporting units within the DD segment. Management assesses goodwill for impairment at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The Company recognizes an impairment charge for the amount by which the reporting unit's carrying amount exceeds its fair value. Fair value of a reporting unit is estimated using both income-based and market-based valuation methods. Management’s impairment analysis for certain reporting units utilized significant judgments and assumptions related to the market comparable method analysis, such as selected market multiples, and related to cash flow projections, such as revenue and terminal growth rates, projected operating margin, and the discount rate.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the goodwill impairment assessment of the two reporting units within the DD segment is a critical audit matter are the significant judgment by management when developing the fair value estimate of the reporting units, which led to a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity, and audit effort in performing procedures to evaluate management’s market comparable method analysis and cash flow projections, including significant assumptions for the selected market multiples, revenue and terminal growth rates, projected operating margin, and the discount rate. Also, the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in performing these procedures and evaluating the audit evidence obtained from these procedures.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to management’s goodwill impairment assessment, including controls over the significant assumptions used in the valuation of the reporting units. These procedures also included, among others, testing management's process for estimating the fair value of the reporting units which involved evaluating the appropriateness of the valuation methods and the reasonableness of significant assumptions used in the market comparable method analysis and cash flow projections, including the selected market multiples, revenue and terminal growth rates, projected operating margin, and the discount rate. Evaluating the reasonableness of the revenue and terminal growth rates and projected operating margin involved considering the past performance of the reporting unit and considering whether these assumptions were consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in the evaluation of the appropriateness of the Company’s valuation methods and the reasonableness of (i) the terminal growth rates impacting the reporting units' future cash flows, (ii) the selected market multiple applied to the reporting units' financial information and (iii) the discount rate.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Raleigh, North Carolina

February 25, 2021

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1997.

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PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In Millions)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In Millions, Except Per Share Data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA HOLDINGS AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE EARNINGS

(In Millions, Except Per Share Data)

The accompanying notes are an

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