2012 a Slow Year for Lab M&A; 2013 Could Be More of Same

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity among laboratories barely topped $290 million in 2012, a fraction of the value of transactions that were consummated during 2011. Many of the acquisitions involved deals of less than $50 million. Industry observers say uncertainty about a wide range of issues kept a lid on M&A activity. They do not anticipate a huge pickup in 2013, although toxicology,  esoteric, and hospital laboratories could be ripe acquisition targets during the year. For more on mergers and acquisitions in 2012 and the outlook for 2013, see Inside the Lab Industry beginning on page 4.