A screen displays the Nasdaq logo, in New York City, U.S., September 12, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Dec 2 (Reuters) - Lumexa Imaging is aiming for a valuation of more than $1.89 billion in its U.S. initial public offering, the Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe-backed company said on Tuesday.

Private equity sponsors are sitting on a record backlog of companies primed to go public, as soaring equity markets and falling interest rates set the stage for a long-awaited IPO market recovery.

After the markets bounced back from April's tariff-induced shocks, first-time share sales had their busiest autumn in four years before being interrupted by the longest-ever partisan gridlock in Washington.

Lumexa, a medical scanning center operator, is looking to raise as much as $500 million by selling 25 million shares in a price range of $17 to $20 per share, as companies line up to go public during the final listing window of the year.

Cardinal Infrastructure Group on Monday also launched its roadshow for an IPO that could prove to be a barometer of investor appetite for a sector critical to economic growth.

Lumexa, which delivers diagnostic imaging services such as MRI and CT, runs 184 outpatient imaging centers in 13 states.

Its listing plans come at a time when AI-driven tools and analytics are promising to improve diagnostic accuracy, lower healthcare costs and expand patient access to high-quality imaging tools.

Barclays, J.P. Morgan and Jefferies are the lead underwriters on the offering.

The company aims to list its shares on the Nasdaq under the symbol "LMRI".

(Reporting by Ateev Bhandari in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)