Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Could you share your thoughts on Dentsply International? Thanks for your help.

Article Excerpt

Dentsply International, $37.19, symbol XRAY on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 141.8 million; Market cap: $5.3 billion; www.dentsply.com), develops, makes and markets products for the dental industry. The company’s consumable and laboratory products include artificial teeth, root-canal instruments, impression materials, dental sealants and anesthetics. Dentsply also develops and makes dental equipment, including X-ray systems, cameras, computer-imaging devices and related software. In June 2011, Dentsply bought Astra Tech AB from AstraZeneca for $1.8 billion. This Sweden-based company is a leading provider of dental implant products. It also makes consumable medical devices for the urology and surgery markets such as catheters. In the three months ended June 30, 2012, Dentsply’s revenue rose 23.8%, to a record $698.5 million from $609.4 million a year earlier. Sales benefited from acquisitions and growth in all of the company’s markets. Earnings per share before one-time items rose 10.7%, to $0.62 from $0.56. The company holds cash of $53.2 million, or $0.38 a share. Its long-term debt of $1.5 billion is a reasonable…