BUZZ-Macquarie forecasts FY25 EBITDA below consensus for Australia's Sonic Healthcare

** Analysts at Macquarie forecast FY25 EBITDA of A$1.69 bln($1.13 bln) for Sonic Healthcare SHL.AX , which sits 8% below Visible Alpha consensus ** Brokerage maintains "Neutral" rating and price target of A$26.35/shr ** Shares of SHL were down as much as 1.6% in early trade, hitting lowest level since June 26 ** Macquarie says brokerage forecasts imply a return on equity (ROE) of 6-7% over FY24-FY26 for SHL on lower return on net operating assets and reduced leverage compared to historic levels ** Brokerage says weaker than expected FY25 EBITDA guidance reflects challenging operating environment ** Five of 15 analysts covering the stock rate it "buy" or higher, seven rate "hold" and three rate "sell" or lower; their median PT is A$26.68 - LSEG data ** Stock down 18% YTD, as of last close ($1 = 1.4999 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Shivangi Lahiri in Bengaluru) (([email protected]))