grepcent public filings, reorganized for comparison

HENRY SCHEIN INC (HSIC) FY 2022 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from HENRY SCHEIN INC's 10-K for fiscal year 2022. Filing date: 2023-02-21. Report date: 2022-12-31. Accession: 0001000228-23-000011.

This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high.

Company profile: HSIC · All MD&A years: index · Previous year: FY 2021 · Next year: FY 2023

ITEM 7.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of

Operations

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

In accordance with the “Safe Harbor” provisions of the Private Securities

Litigation Reform Act of 1995, we

provide the following cautionary remarks regarding important factors

that, among others, could cause future results

to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, expectations and assumptions

expressed or implied

herein.

All forward-looking statements made by us are subject to

risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of

future performance.

These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown

risks, uncertainties and other

factors that may cause our actual results, performance and achievements

or industry results to be materially

different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking

statements.

These statements are generally identified by the use of such

terms as “may,” “could,” “expect,”

“intend,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “anticipate,”

“to be,” “to make” or other comparable

terms.

Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited

to, those discussed in

this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and in particular the risks discussed under

the caption “Risk Factors” in Item 1A

of this report and those that may be discussed in other documents we

file with the Securities and Exchange

Commission (SEC).

Forward looking statements include the overall impact of the Novel Coronavirus

Disease 2019

(COVID-19) on us, our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition

(including any estimates of the

impact on these items), the rate and consistency with which dental

and other practices resume or maintain normal

operations in the United States and internationally, expectations regarding personal protective equipment (“PPE”)

products and COVID-19 related product sales and inventory levels, whether

additional resurgences or variants of

the virus will adversely impact the resumption of normal operations, whether

supply chain disruptions will

adversely impact our business, the impact of integration and restructuring

programs as well as of any future

acquisitions, general economic conditions including exchange rates,

inflation and recession, and more generally

current expectations regarding performance in current and future periods.

Forward looking statements also include

the (i) our ability to have continued access to a variety of COVID-19

test types, expectations regarding COVID-19

test sales, demand and inventory levels, as well as the efficacy or relative efficacy of the test

results given that the

test efficacy has not been, or will not have been, independently verified under

normal FDA procedures and (ii)

potential for us to distribute the COVID-19 vaccines and ancillary supplies.

Risk factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from

current and historical results

include, but are not limited to: risks associated with COVID-19

and any variants thereof, as well as other disease

outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics, or similar wide-spread public health concerns

and other natural disasters; our

dependence on third parties for the manufacture and supply of our products;

our ability to develop or acquire and

maintain and protect new products (particularly technology products) and

technologies that achieve market

acceptance with acceptable margins; transitional challenges associated with acquisitions,

dispositions and joint

ventures, including the failure to achieve anticipated synergies/benefits; legal, regulatory, compliance,

cybersecurity, financial and tax risks associated with acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures; certain provisions

in our governing documents that may discourage third-party acquisitions

of us; adverse changes in supplier rebates

or other purchasing incentives; risks related to the sale of corporate brand

products; effects of a highly competitive

(including, without limitation, competition from third-party online commerce

sites) and consolidating market; the

repeal or judicial prohibition on implementation of the Affordable Care Act; changes in the health

care industry;

risks from expansion of customer purchasing power and multi-tiered

costing structures; increases in shipping costs

for our products or other service issues with our third-party shippers; general

global and domestic macro-economic

and political conditions, including inflation, deflation, recession, fluctuations

in energy pricing and the value of the

U.S. dollar as compared to foreign currencies, and changes to other economic

indicators, international trade

agreements, potential trade barriers and terrorism; failure to comply with existing

and future regulatory

requirements; risks associated with the EU Medical Device Regulation; failure

to comply with laws and regulations

relating to health care fraud or other laws and regulations; failure to comply with

laws and regulations relating to

the collection, storage and processing of sensitive personal information

or standards in electronic health records or

transmissions; changes in tax legislation; risks related to product liability, intellectual property and other claims;

litigation risks;

new or unanticipated litigation developments and the status of litigation

matters; risks associated

with customs policies or legislative import restrictions; cyberattacks

or other privacy or data security breaches; risks

associated with our global operations; our dependence on our senior management,

employee hiring and retention,

and our relationships with customers, suppliers and manufacturers;

and disruptions in financial markets.

The order

in which these factors appear should not be construed to indicate their

relative importance or priority.

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44

We caution that these factors may not be exhaustive and that many of these factors are beyond our ability to control

or predict.

Accordingly, any forward-looking statements contained herein should not be relied upon as a prediction

of actual results.

We undertake no duty and have no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as

required by law.

Where You

Can Find Important Information

We may disclose important information through one or more of the following channels: SEC filings, public

conference calls and webcasts, press releases, the investor relations

page of our website (www.henryschein.com)

and the social media channels identified on the Newsroom page of our website.

Recent Developments

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted global supply chains and created

significant volatility and disruption of global financial markets in

2020 and 2021.

The impact of COVID-19 had a

material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows in 2020.

During the year ended

December 25, 2021, patient traffic levels returned to levels approaching pre-pandemic

levels.

Demand for dental

products and certain medical products throughout 2021 was driven

by sales of PPE and COVID-19 test kits.

During the year ended December 31, 2022 we experienced a decrease

in the sales volume of PPE and COVID-19

test kits.

The volatility in sales of COVID-19 test kits has moderated, albeit at a significantly

lower level of sales

compared with 2021, resulting in us recording an inventory obsolescence

reserve of $17 million for COVID-19 test

kits during the year ended December 31, 2022.

While the U.S. economy has recently experienced inflationary

pressures and strengthening of the U.S dollar, their

impacts have not been material to our results of operations in the

fourth quarter or full year ended December 31,

2022, and we currently expect moderating of inflation and foreign currency

fluctuations.

Though inflation impacts

both our revenues and costs, the depth and breadth of our product portfolio

often allows us to offer lower-cost

national brand solutions or corporate brand alternatives to our more

price-sensitive customers who are unable to

absorb price increases, thus positioning us to protect our gross profit.

Our consolidated financial statements reflect estimates and assumptions

made by us that affect, among other things,

our goodwill, long-lived asset and definite-lived intangible asset valuation;

inventory valuation; equity investment

valuation; assessment of the annual effective tax rate; valuation of deferred income

taxes and income tax

contingencies; the allowance for doubtful accounts; hedging activity; supplier

rebates; measurement of

compensation cost for certain share-based performance awards and cash

bonus plans; and pension plan

assumptions.

Due to the significant uncertainty surrounding the future impact

of COVID-19, our judgments

regarding estimates and impairments could change in the future.

There is an ongoing risk that the COVID-19

pandemic may again have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations

and cash flows and may

result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition and liquidity.

However, the extent of the potential

impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

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45

Executive-Level Overview

Henry Schein, Inc. is a solutions company for health care professionals powered

by a network of people and

technology.

We believe we are the world’s

largest provider of health care products and services primarily to office-

based dental and medical practitioners, as well as alternate sites of care.

We

serve more than one million customers

worldwide including dental practitioners, laboratories, physician practices, and

ambulatory surgery centers, as well

as government, institutional health care clinics and other alternate care clinics.

We

believe that we have a strong

brand identity due to our more than 90 years of experience distributing health

care products.

We are headquartered in Melville, New York,

employ approximately 22,000 people (of which approximately

10,700 are based outside of the United States) and have operations or

affiliates in 32 countries and territories.

Our

broad global footprint has evolved over time through our organic success as well as

through contribution from

strategic acquisitions.

We

have established strategically located distribution centers around

the world to enable us to better serve our

customers and increase our operating efficiency.

This infrastructure, together with broad product and service

offerings at competitive prices, and a strong commitment to customer service, enables

us to be a single source of

supply for our customers’ needs.

While our primary go-to-market strategy is in our capacity as a distributor, we also market and sell under

our own

corporate brand portfolio of cost-effective, high-quality consumable merchandise products,

and manufacture certain

dental specialty products in the areas of implants, orthodontics and endodontics.

We

have achieved scale in these

global businesses primarily through acquisitions as manufacturers of these

products typically do not utilize a

distribution channel to serve customers.

We

conduct our business through two reportable segments: (i) health

care distribution and (ii) technology and

value-added services.

These segments offer different products and services to the same customer base.

Our global

dental businesses serve office-based dental practitioners, dental laboratories, schools, government

and other

institutions.

Our medical businesses serve physician offices, urgent care centers, ambulatory care sites, emergency

medical technicians, dialysis centers, home health, federal and state governments

and large enterprises, such as

group practices and integrated delivery networks, among other providers

across a wide range of specialties.

The health care distribution reportable segment, combining our global dental and

medical operating segments,

distributes consumable products, small equipment, laboratory products, large equipment, equipment

repair services,

branded and generic pharmaceuticals, vaccines, surgical products, dental specialty

products (including implant,

orthodontic and endodontic products), diagnostic tests, infection-control products,

PPE products and vitamins.

Our global technology and value-added services business provides software, technology

and other value-added

services to health care practitioners.

Our technology business offerings include practice management software

systems for dental and medical practitioners.

Our value-added practice solutions include practice consultancy,

education, revenue cycle management and financial services on a non-recourse

basis, e-services, practice

technology, network and hardware services, as well as consulting, and continuing education services for

practitioners.

A key element to grow closer to our customers is our One Schein initiative, which

is a unified go-to-market

approach that enables practitioners to work synergistically with our supply chain,

equipment sales and service and

other value-added services, allowing our customers to leverage the

combined value that we offer through a single

program.

Specifically, One Schein provides customers with streamlined access to our comprehensive offering of

national brand products, our corporate brand products and proprietary specialty

products and solutions (including

implant, orthodontic and endodontic products).

In addition, customers have access to a wide range of services,

including software and other value-added services.

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46

Industry Overview

In recent years, the health care industry has increasingly focused on cost containment.

This trend has benefited

distributors capable of providing a broad array of products and services at low

prices.

It also has accelerated the

growth of HMOs, group practices, other managed care accounts and collective buying

groups, which, in addition to

their emphasis on obtaining products at competitive prices, tend to favor distributors

capable of providing

specialized management information support.

We

believe that the trend towards cost containment has the potential

to favorably affect demand for technology solutions, including software, which can

enhance the efficiency and

facilitation of practice management.

Our operating results in recent years have been significantly affected by strategies

and transactions that we

undertook to expand our business, domestically and internationally, in part to address significant changes in the

health care industry, including consolidation of health care distribution companies, health care reform, trends

toward managed care, cuts in Medicare and collective purchasing arrangements.

Our current and future results have been and could be impacted by the COVID-19

pandemic, the current economic

environment and continued economic and public health uncertainty.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in

early 2020, we have been carefully monitoring its impact on our global

operations and have taken appropriate steps

to minimize the risk to our employees.

We

have seen and expect to continue to see changes in demand trends

for

some of our products and services, supply chain challenges and labor

challenges, as rates of infection fluctuate, new

strains or variants of COVID-19 emerge and spread, governments adapt their approaches

to combatting the virus,

and local conditions change across geographies.

As a result, we expect to see continued volatility.

Industry Consolidation

The health care products distribution industry, as it relates to office-based health care practitioners, is fragmented

and diverse.

The industry ranges from sole practitioners working out of

relatively small offices to group practices

or service organizations ranging in size from a few practitioners to a large number of practitioners who have

combined or otherwise associated their practices.

Due in part to the inability of office-based health care practitioners to store and manage

large quantities of supplies

in their offices, the distribution of health care supplies and small equipment to office-based health

care practitioners

has been characterized by frequent, small quantity orders, and a need for rapid,

reliable and substantially complete

order fulfillment.

The purchasing decisions within an office-based health care practice are typically

made by the

practitioner or an administrative assistant.

Supplies and small equipment are generally purchased from more

than

one distributor, with one generally serving as the primary supplier.

The trend of consolidation extends to our customer base.

Health care practitioners are increasingly seeking to

partner, affiliate or combine with larger entities such as hospitals, health systems, group practices or physician

hospital organizations.

In many cases, purchasing decisions for consolidated groups

are made at a centralized or

professional staff level; however, orders are delivered to the practitioners’ offices.

We

believe that consolidation within the industry will continue to

result in a number of distributors, particularly

those with limited financial, operating and marketing resources, seeking to

combine with larger companies that can

provide growth opportunities.

This consolidation also may continue to result in distributors seeking

to acquire

companies that can enhance their current product and service offerings or provide

opportunities to serve a broader

customer base.

Our approach to acquisitions and joint ventures has been to expand our role as

a provider of products and services

to the health care industry.

This trend has resulted in our expansion into service areas that complement

our existing

operations and provide opportunities for us to develop synergies with, and thus strengthen, the acquired

businesses.

As industry

consolidation continues, we believe that we are positioned to capitalize

on this trend, as we believe we

have the ability to support increased sales through our existing infrastructure, although

there can be no assurances

that we will be able to successfully accomplish this.

We

also have invested in expanding our sales/marketing

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47

infrastructure to include a focus on building relationships with decision

makers who do not reside in the office-

based practitioner setting.

As the health care industry continues to change, we continually evaluate possible

candidates for joint venture or

acquisition and intend to continue to seek opportunities to expand our

role as a provider of products and services to

the health care industry.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully pursue

any such

opportunity or consummate any such transaction, if pursued.

If additional transactions are entered into or

consummated, we would incur merger and/or acquisition-related costs, and there

can be no assurance that the

integration efforts associated with any such transaction would be successful.

Aging Population and Other Market Influences

The health care products distribution industry continues to experience growth

due to the aging population,

increased health care awareness, the proliferation of medical technology

and testing, new pharmacology treatments,

and expanded third-party insurance coverage, partially offset by the effects of unemployment on insurance

coverage.

In addition, the physician market continues to benefit from

the shift of procedures and diagnostic testing

from acute care settings to alternate-care sites, particularly physicians’

offices.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Database, between 2022 and 2032, the 45 and older

population is expected to grow by approximately 11%.

Between 2022 and 2042, this age group is expected to grow

by approximately 21%.

This compares with expected total U.S. population growth

rates of approximately 6%

between 2022 and 2032 and approximately 12% between 2022 and 2042.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Database, in 2022 there are approximately seven million

Americans aged 85 years or older, the segment of the population most in need of long-term care

and elder-care

services.

By the year 2050, that number is projected to nearly triple to approximately

19 million.

The population

aged 65 to 84 years is projected to increase by approximately 27% during

the same period.

As a result of these market dynamics, annual expenditures for health care services

continue to increase in the

United States.

We believe that demand for our products and services will grow while continuing to be impacted by

current and future operating, economic, and industry conditions.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,

or CMS, published “National Health Expenditure Data” indicating

that total national health care spending reached

approximately $4.3 trillion in 2021, or 18.3% of the nation’s gross domestic product, the benchmark

measure for

annual production of goods and services in the United States.

Health care spending is projected to reach

approximately $6.2 trillion in 2028, or 19.7% of the nation’s projected gross domestic product.

Government

Our businesses are generally subject to numerous laws and regulations that could

impact our financial performance,

and failure to comply with such laws or regulations could have a

material adverse effect on our business.

See “

Item 1. Business – Governmental Regulations

” for a discussion of laws, regulations and governmental activity

that may affect our results of operations and financial condition.

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48

Results of Operations

Refer to Item 7: Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in

our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K for management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results

of operations for the fiscal year 2021 compared to fiscal year 2020.

The following tables summarize the significant components of our operating

results and cash flows from continuing

operations:

Years

Ended

December 31,

December 25,

December 26,

2022

2021

2020

Operating results:

Net sales

$

12,647

$

12,401

$

10,119

Cost of sales

8,816

8,727

7,303

Gross profit

3,831

3,674

2,816

Operating expenses:

Selling, general and administrative

2,771

2,634

2,086

Depreciation and amortization

182

180

163

Restructuring and integration costs

131

8

32

Operating income

$

747

$

852

$

535

Other expense, net

$

(26)

$

(21)

$

(35)

Gain on sale of equity investments, net of tax

-

7

2

Net income from continuing operations

566

660

419

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax

-

-

1

Net income attributable to Henry Schein, Inc.

538

631

404

Years

Ended

December 31,

December 25,

December 26,

2022

2021

2020

Cash flows:

Net cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations

$

602

$

710

$

594

Net cash used in investing activities from continuing operations

(276)

(677)

(115)

Net cash used in financing activities from continuing operations

(315)

(333)

(182)

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49

Plans of Restructuring and Integration Costs

On August 1, 2022, we committed to a restructuring plan focused on

funding the priorities of the strategic plan and

streamlining operations and other initiatives to increase efficiency.

We expect this initiative to extend through

2023.

We are currently unable in good faith to make a determination of an estimate of the amount or range of

amounts expected to be incurred in connection with these activities, both with

respect to each major type of cost

associated therewith and with respect to the total cost, or an estimate of the

amount or range of amounts that will

result in future cash expenditures.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded restructuring charges of $128

million primarily related to

severance and employee-related costs, accelerated amortization of right-of-use

lease assets, impairment of other

long-lived assets and lease exit costs.

During the three months ended December 31, 2022, in connection with our restructuring

plan, we vacated one of

the buildings at our corporate headquarters in Melville NY, which resulted in an accelerated amortization of right-

of-use lease asset of $34 million.

We also initiated the disposal of a non-profitable US business and recorded

related costs of $49 million which primarily consisted of impairment of

intangible assets and goodwill, inventory

impairment, and severance and employee-related costs.

These expenses are included in the $128 million of

restructuring charges discussed above.

The disposal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2023.

On August 26, 2022, we acquired Midway Dental Supply.

In connection with this acquisition, during the year

ended December 31, 2022, we recorded integration costs of $3 million related

to one-time employee and other

costs, as well as restructuring charges of $9 million, which are included in the

$128 million of restructuring charges

discussed above.

On November 20, 2019, we committed to a contemplated restructuring

initiative intended to mitigate stranded costs

associated with the spin-off of our animal health business and to rationalize operations

and provide expense

efficiencies.

These activities were originally expected to be completed by

the end of 2020 but we extended them to

the end of 2021 in light of the changes to the business environment brought

on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The

restructuring activities under this prior initiative were completed

in 2021.

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50

2022 Compared to 2021

Net Sales

Net sales were as follows:

% of

% of

Increase / (Decrease)

2022

Total

2021

Total

$

%

Health care distribution

(1)

Dental

$

7,473

59.1

%

$

7,544

60.8

%

$

(71)

(0.9)

%

Medical

4,451

35.2

4,210

34.0

241

5.7

Total health care distribution

11,924

94.3

11,754

94.8

170

1.4

Technology and value-added services

(2)

723

5.7

647

5.2

76

11.8

Total

$

12,647

100.0

$

12,401

100.0

$

246

2.0

The components of our sales growth were as follows:

Local Currency Growth

Total Sales

Growth

Foreign

Exchange

Impact

Total Local

Currency

Growth

Acquisition

Growth

Extra Week

Impact

Local Internal

Growth

Health care distribution

(1)

Dental Merchandise

(2.6)

%

(3.5)

%

0.9

%

1.3

%

1.0

%

(1.4)

%

Dental Equipment

4.7

(4.6)

9.3

0.6

2.3

6.4

Total Dental

(0.9)

(3.7)

2.8

1.2

1.2

0.4

Medical

5.7

(0.3)

6.0

2.4

1.5

2.1

Total Health Care Distribution

1.4

(2.5)

3.9

1.6

1.3

1.0

Technology and value-added services

(2)

11.8

(1.5)

13.3

5.4

0.8

7.1

Total

2.0

(2.4)

4.4

1.8

1.3

1.3

Note: Percentages for Net Sales; Gross Profit; Selling, General and Administrative; Other Expense, Net; and Income Taxes are based on

actual values and may not recalculate due to rounding.

(1)

Consists of consumable products, small equipment, laboratory products, large equipment, equipment repair services, branded and

generic pharmaceuticals, vaccines, surgical products, dental specialty products (including implant, orthodontic and endodontic

products), diagnostic tests, infection-control products, PPE products and vitamins.

(2)

Consists of practice management software and other value-added products, which are distributed primarily to health care providers,

practice consultancy, education, revenue cycle management and financial services on a non-recourse basis, e-services, continuing

education services for practitioners, consulting and other services.

Global Sales

Global net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased 2.0% based

upon the components presented in the

table above.

We estimate that sales for the year ended

December 31, 2022 of PPE products and COVID-19 test kits

were approximately $1,245 million, an estimated decrease of 34.7% versus the prior

year.

Excluding PPE products

and COVID-19 test kits,

the estimated increase in internally generated local currency sales was 6.7%.

Dental

Dental net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased 0.9% based

upon the components presented in the

table above.

Our sales growth in local currency for dental merchandise decreased

primarily due to a decrease in

PPE product sales.

We estimate that global dental sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 of PPE products

were approximately $447 million, an estimated decrease of 32.5% versus the prior

year.

Excluding PPE products,

the estimated increase in internally generated local currency dental sales

was 3.8%.

Dental equipment sales in local

currency increased in both our North American and international markets,

primarily due to increased demand.

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51

Medical

Medical net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased 5.7% based

upon the components presented in

the table above.

Globally, we estimate our medical business recorded sales of approximately $798 million of

sales

of PPE products

and COVID-19 test kits for the year ended December 31, 2022, an estimated

decrease of

approximately 27.4% compared to the prior year.

Excluding PPE products and COVID-19 test kits, the estimated

increase in internally generated local currency medical sales was

2.1%.

Te

chnology and value-added services

Technology and value-added services net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased 11.8% based upon

the components presented in the table above.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the trend for transactional

software sales improved as we increased the number of users, generating demand

for our sales cycle management

solutions, and also from cloud-based solutions that drive practice efficiency and patient engagement.

Gross Profit

Gross profit and gross margin percentages by segment and in total were as follows:

Gross

Gross

Increase

2022

Margin %

2021

Margin %

$

%

Health care distribution

$

3,357

28.2

%

$

3,239

27.6

%

$

118

3.6

%

Technology and value-added services

474

65.5

435

67.2

39

9.0

Total

$

3,831

30.3

$

3,674

29.6

$

157

4.3

As a result of different practices of categorizing costs associated with distribution networks

throughout our

industry, our gross margins may not necessarily be comparable to other distribution companies.

Additionally, we

realize substantially higher gross margin percentages in our technology and value-added services

segment than in

our health care distribution segment.

These higher gross margins result from being both the developer and seller of

software products and services, as well as certain financial services.

The software industry typically realizes higher

gross margins to recover investments in research and development.

Within our health care distribution segment, gross profit margins may vary from one period to the next.

Changes in

the mix of products sold as well as changes in our customer mix have

been the most significant drivers affecting

our gross profit margin.

For example, sales of our corporate brand products achieve

gross profit margins that are

higher than average total gross profit margins of all products.

With respect to customer mix, sales to our large-

group customers are typically completed at lower gross margins due to the higher

volumes sold as opposed to the

gross margin on sales to office-based practitioners, who normally purchase lower volumes.

Health care distribution gross profit increased primarily due to the increase

in net sales discussed above.

The

overall increase in our health care distribution gross profit was attributable to

$67 million of gross profit from

acquisitions and gross margin expansion, mainly as a result of increased sales

mix of higher-margin products.

Technology and value-added services gross profit increased as a result of an increase in gross profit from internally

generated sales and gross profit from acquisitions, partially offset by a decrease in

gross margin rates.

Gross

margin rates decreased primarily due to lower gross margins of recently acquired companies in

the business

services sector and our continued investment in product development and customer

service.

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52

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses (consisting of selling, general and administrative

expenses; depreciation and amortization,

restructuring and integration costs) by segment and in total were as follows:

% of

% of

Respective

Respective

Increase

2022

Net Sales

2021

Net Sales

$

%

Health care distribution

$

2,738

23.0

%

$

2,512

21.4

%

$

226

9.0

%

Technology and value-added services

346

47.8

310

48.0

36

11.4

Total

$

3,084

24.4

$

2,822

22.8

$

262

9.3

The net increase in operating expenses is attributable to the

following:

Change in

Restructuring and

Integration Costs

Increase in

Operating Costs

Acquisitions

Total

Health care distribution

$

121

$

39

$

66

$

226

Technology and value-added services

2

20

14

36

Total

$

123

$

59

$

80

$

262

The increase in restructuring and integration costs is attributable to our disposal

of an unprofitable business,

acceleration of amortization of right-of-use lease assets related

to the exit from one of the properties at our

corporate headquarters, severance costs, and other costs relating to

the exit of some facilities.

The increase in

operating costs includes a $20 million intangible assets impairment charge within

our health care distribution

segment, and increases in payroll and payroll related costs and travel and convention

expenses in both of our

reportable segments.

While the U.S. economy has recently experienced inflationary

pressures and strengthening of

the U.S dollar, their impacts have not been material to our results of operations.

Other Expense, Net

Other expense, net was as follows:

Variance

2022

2021

$

%

Interest income

$

17

$

7

$

10

158.9

%

Interest expense

(44)

(28)

(16)

(59.1)

Other, net

1

-

1

n/a

Other expense, net

$

(26)

$

(21)

$

(5)

(26.0)

Interest income increased primarily due to increased interest rates.

Interest expense increased primarily due to

increased borrowings and increased interest rates.

Income Taxes

For the year ended December 31, 2022, our effective tax rate was 23.5% compared to 23.8%

for the prior year

period.

In 2022, the difference between our effective tax rate and the federal statutory tax rate primarily

relates to

state and foreign income taxes and interest expense.

In 2021, the difference between our effective tax rate and the

federal statutory tax rate was primarily due to state and foreign income

taxes and interest expense.

Gain on Sale of Equity Investment

In the third quarter of 2021, we received contingent proceeds of $10 million

from the 2019 sale of Hu-Friedy

resulting in the recognition of an additional after-tax gain of $7

million.

No further proceeds are expected from this

sale.

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53

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal capital requirements have included funding of acquisitions, purchases

of additional noncontrolling

interests, repayments of debt principal, the funding of working capital needs,

purchases of fixed assets and

repurchases of common stock.

Working capital requirements generally result from increased sales, special

inventory forward buy-in opportunities and payment terms for receivables

and payables.

Historically, sales have

tended to be stronger during the second half of the year and special inventory

forward buy-in opportunities have

been most prevalent just before the end of the year, and have caused our working capital requirements

to be higher

from the end of the third quarter to the end of the first quarter of

the following year.

We finance our business primarily through cash generated from our operations, revolving credit facilities and debt

placements.

Please see

Note 12 – Debt

for further information.

Our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from

operations is dependent on the continued demand of our customers for our

products and services, and access to

products and services from our suppliers.

Our business requires a substantial investment in working capital, which

is susceptible to fluctuations during the

year as a result of inventory purchase patterns and seasonal demands.

Inventory purchase activity is a function of

sales activity, special inventory forward buy-in opportunities and our desired level of inventory.

We anticipate

future increases in our working capital requirements.

We finance our business to provide adequate funding for at least 12 months.

Funding requirements are based on

forecasted profitability and working capital needs, which, on occasion, may

change.

Consequently, we may change

our funding structure to reflect any new requirements.

We believe that our cash and cash equivalents, our ability to access private debt markets and public equity markets,

and our available funds under existing credit facilities provide us with

sufficient liquidity to meet our currently

foreseeable short-term and long-term capital needs.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $602 million for the

year ended December 31, 2022, compared to net

cash from continuing operations provided by operating activities of $710 million

for the prior year.

The net change

of $108 million was primarily due to unfavorable net cash used by our working

capital accounts, net of

acquisitions, driven by an impact of timing of payments which

resulted in an increase in other current assets and

relative decreases in accounts payable and accrued expenses, partially offset by the

relative year over year impact

of inventory increases (2021 increase was more significant than the

2022 increase).

Net cash used in investing activities was $276 million for the year

ended December 31, 2022, compared to $677

million for the prior year.

The net change of $401 million was primarily attributable to decreased payments

for

equity investments and business acquisitions.

Net cash used in financing activities was $315 million for the year

ended December 31, 2022, compared to net cash

used in financing activities of $333 million for the prior year.

The net change of $18 million was primarily due to

increased net borrowings from debt, partially offset by increased repurchases of common

stock.

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54

The following table summarizes selected measures of liquidity and capital

resources:

December 31,

December 25,

2022

2021

Cash and cash equivalents

$

117

$

118

Working

capital

(1)

1,764

1,537

Debt:

Bank credit lines

$

103

$

51

Current maturities of long-term debt

6

11

Long-term debt

1,040

811

Total debt

$

1,149

$

873

Leases:

Current operating lease liabilities

$

73

$

76

Non-current operating lease liabilities

275

268

(1)

Includes $327 million and $138 million of certain accounts receivable which serve as security for U.S. trade accounts receivable

securitization at December 31, 2022 and December 25, 2021, respectively.

Our cash and cash equivalents consist of bank balances and investments

in money market funds representing

overnight investments with a high degree of liquidity.

Accounts receivable days sales outstanding and inventory turns

Our accounts receivable days sales outstanding from operations

increased to 41.9 days as of December 31, 2022

from 41.8 days as of December 25, 2021.

During the years ended December 31, 2022 and December

25, 2021, we

wrote off approximately $10 million and $8 million, respectively, of fully reserved accounts receivable against our

trade receivable reserve.

Our inventory turns from operations was 4.7 as of December

31, 2022 and 5.2 as of

December 25, 2021.

Our working capital accounts may be impacted by current and

future economic conditions.

Contractual obligations

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations related

to fixed and variable rate long-term debt and

finance lease obligations, including interest (assuming a weighted

average interest rate of 4.3%), as well as

inventory purchase commitments and operating lease obligations

as of December 31, 2022:

Payments due by period

1 year

2 - 3 years

4 - 5 years

5 years

Total

Contractual obligations:

Long-term debt, including interest

$

41

$

508

$

134

$

538

$

1,221

Inventory purchase commitments

5

8

8

-

21

Operating lease obligations

82

122

79

98

381

Transition tax obligations

19

23

-

-

42

Finance lease obligations, including interest

5

4

1

1

11

Total

$

152

$

665

$

222

$

637

$

1,676

For information relating to our debt please see

Note 12 – Debt

.

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55

Leases

We have operating and finance leases for corporate offices, office space, distribution and other facilities, vehicles

and certain equipment.

Our leases have remaining terms of less than one year to approximately

19 years, some of

which may include options to extend the leases for up to 15 years.

As of December 31, 2022, our right-of-use

assets related to operating leases were $284 million and our current and non-current

operating lease liabilities were

$73 million and $275 million, respectively.

Please see

Note 6 – Leases

for further information.

Stock Repurchases

On March 8, 2021, we announced the reinstatement of our share repurchase

program, which had been temporarily

suspended in April of 2020.

From March 3, 2003 through December 31, 2022, we repurchased $4.5

billion, or 87,180,669 shares, under our

common stock repurchase programs, with $115 million available as of December 31, 2022 for future

common stock

share repurchases.

On February 8, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase

of up to an additional $400 million in shares

of our common stock.

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests

Some minority stockholders in certain of our consolidated subsidiaries have

the right, at certain times, to require us

to acquire their ownership interest in those entities.

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480-10 is

applicable for noncontrolling interests where we are or may be required

to purchase all or a portion of the

outstanding interest in a consolidated subsidiary from the noncontrolling

interest holder under the terms of a put

option contained in contractual agreements.

As of December 31, 2022 and December 25, 2021, our balance

for

redeemable noncontrolling interests was $576 million and $613 million, respectively.

Please see

Note 18 –

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests

for further information.

Unrecognized tax benefits

As more fully disclosed in

Note 13 – Income Taxes

of “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements,” we cannot

reasonably estimate the timing of future cash flows related to the unrecognized

tax benefits, including accrued

interest, of $94 million as of December 31, 2022.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our accounting policies are more fully described in

Note 1 – Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting

Policies

of the consolidated financial statements.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires us

to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues

and expenses and

related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities.

We base our estimates on historical data, when available,

experience, industry and market trends, and on various other assumptions

that are believed to be reasonable under

the circumstances, the combined results of which form the basis for

making judgments about the carrying values of

assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources.

We believe that the estimates, judgments and

assumptions upon which we rely are reasonable based upon information

available to us at the time that these

estimates, judgments and assumptions are made.

However, by their nature, estimates are subject to various

assumptions and uncertainties.

Therefore, reported results may differ from estimates and any such differences may

be material to our consolidated financial statements.

We believe that the following critical accounting estimates, which have been discussed with the Audit Committee

of our Board of Directors, affect the significant estimates and judgments used in

the preparation of our financial

statements:

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56

Inventories and Reserves

Inventories consist primarily of finished goods and are valued at

the lower of cost or net realizable value.

Cost is

determined by the first-in, first-out method for merchandise or actual cost

for large equipment and high tech

equipment.

In estimating carrying value of inventory, we consider many factors including the condition and

salability of the inventory by reviewing on-hand quantities, historical sales,

forecasted sales and market and

economic trends.

Certain of our products, specifically PPE and COVID-19 test kits, have experienced

changes in

net realizable value, due to volatility of pricing and changes in demand

for these products.

Business Combinations

The estimated fair value of acquired identifiable intangible assets (trademarks

and trade names, customer

relationships and lists, non-compete agreements and product development)

is based on critical estimates, judgments

and assumptions derived from: analysis of market conditions; discount

rates; projected cash flows; customer

retention rates; and estimated useful lives.

Please see

Note 4 – Business Acquisitions and Divestitures

for further

discussion of our acquisitions.

Goodwill

Goodwill is subject to impairment analysis at least once annually as of

the first day of our fourth quarter, or if an

event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than

not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit

below its carrying value.

Such impairment analyses for goodwill require a comparison of

the fair value to the

carrying value of reporting units.

We regard our reporting units to be our operating segments: global dental,

global

medical, and technology and value-added services.

Goodwill is allocated to such reporting units, for the purposes

of preparing our impairment analyses, based on a specific identification

basis.

Application of the goodwill impairment test requires judgment, including

the identification of reporting units,

assignment of assets and liabilities that are considered shared services

to the reporting units, and ultimately the

determination of the fair value of each reporting unit.

The fair value of each reporting unit is calculated by

applying the discounted cash flow methodology and confirming with

a market approach.

There are inherent

uncertainties, however, related to fair value models, the inputs and our judgments in applying them

to this analysis.

The most significant inputs include estimation of detailed future cash flows based

on budget expectations, and

determination of comparable companies to develop a weighted average

cost of capital for each reporting unit.

On an annual basis, we prepare annual and

medium-term financial projections.

These projections are based on

input from our leadership and are presented annually to our Board of Directors.

Influences on this year's forecasted

financial information and the fair value model include: the impact of planned

strategic initiatives, the continued

integration of recent acquisitions and overall market conditions.

The estimates used to calculate the fair value of a

reporting unit change from year to year based on operating results,

market conditions, and other factors.

Our third-party valuation specialists provide inputs into our determination

of the discount rate.

The rate is

dependent on a number of underlying assumptions, including the risk-free rate,

tax rate, equity risk premium, debt

to equity ratio

and pre-tax cost of debt.

Long-term growth rates are applied to our estimation of future cash flows.

The long-term growth rates are tied to

growth rates we expect to achieve beyond the years for which we have

forecasted operating results.

We also

consider external benchmarks, and other data points which we believe are

applicable to our industry and the

composition of our global operations.

Based on our quantitative assessment for the year ended December 31, 2022,

we recorded a $20 million impairment

of goodwill relating to the disposal of an unprofitable business whose

estimated fair value was lower than its

carrying value.

As part of our analysis for the rest of the goodwill balance,

we performed a sensitivity analysis on

the discount rate and long-term growth rate assumptions.

The sensitivities did not result in any additional

impairment charges.

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57

Definite-Lived Intangible Assets

Annually, definite-lived intangible assets such as non-compete agreements, trademarks, trade names, customer

relationships and lists, and product development are reviewed for impairment

indicators.

If any impairment

indicators exist, quantitative testing is performed on the asset.

The quantitative impairment model is a two-step test under which we

first calculate the recoverability of the

carrying value by comparing the undiscounted, probability-weighted value

of the projected cash flows associated

with the asset or asset group, including its estimated residual value, to

the carrying amount.

If the cash flows

associated with the asset or asset group are less than the carrying value,

we would perform a fair value assessment

of the asset, or asset group.

If the carrying amount is found to be greater than the fair value, we record an

impairment loss for the excess of book value over the fair value.

In addition, in all cases of an impairment review,

we re-evaluate the remaining useful lives of the assets and modify them,

as appropriate.

Although we believe our

judgments, estimates and/or assumptions used in estimating cash flows

and determining fair value are reasonable,

making material changes to such judgments, estimates and/or assumptions

could materially affect such impairment

analyses and our financial results.

During the years ended December 31, 2022, December 25, 2021

and December 26, 2020, we recorded total

impairment charges on intangible assets of approximately $49 million ($34 million

related to impairment of

customer lists and relationships attributable to customer attrition rates being higher

than expected in certain

businesses and $15 million due to the disposal of an unprofitable

business), $1 million and $20 million,

respectively.

For the year ended December 31, 2022 impairment charges were recorded

within our health care

distribution segment.

For the years ended December 25, 2021 and December 26,

2020, impairment charges were

recorded within our health care distribution and technology and value-added services

segments.

Income Tax

When determining if the realization of the deferred tax asset is likely by assessing

the need for a valuation

allowance, estimates and judgement are required.

We

consider all available evidence, both positive and negative,

including estimated future taxable earnings, ongoing planning strategies,

future reversals of existing temporary

differences and historical operating results.

Additionally, changes to tax laws and statutory tax rates can have an

impact on our determination.

Our intention is to evaluate the realizability of our deferred tax assets quarterly.

ASC Topic 740 prescribes the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in the financial statements in

accordance with other provisions contained within this guidance.

This topic prescribes a recognition threshold and

a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement

of tax positions taken or expected

to be taken in a tax return.

For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely

than not to be

sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities.

The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of

benefit that has a greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate

audit settlement.

In the normal course of

business, our tax returns are subject to examination by various taxing

authorities.

Such examinations may result in

future tax and interest assessments by these taxing authorities for uncertain

tax positions taken in respect of certain

tax matters.

Please see

Note 13 – Income Taxes

for further discussion.

The FASB Staff Q&A, Topic

740 No. 5, Accounting for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”), states

that an entity can make an accounting policy election to either recognize deferred

taxes for temporary differences

expected to reverse as GILTI in future years or provide for the tax expense related to GILTI in the year the tax is

incurred.

We elected to recognize the tax on GILTI

as a period expense in the period the tax is incurred.

Accounting Standards Update

For a discussion of accounting standards updates that have been adopted

or will be adopted in the future, please see

Note 1 – Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

included under Item 8.

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58

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