NEW YORK — The escalating number of flu cases nationwide has hoisted sales of over-the-counter medicines and other products that help treat and manage flu symptoms, according to market research firm IRI. In a new report titled “Flu Fury: IRI Pinpoints How Flu Is Impacting U.S. Markets,” IRI spotlights areas hit hard by the spread
NEW YORK — Three of the largest U.S. companies — Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon and JPMorgan Chase & Co. — have joined together to take employee health care into their own hands. Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon and JPMorgan Chase said Tuesday that they plan to form an independent health care company to provide their employees accessible, affordable and quality care.
A CVS-Aetna merger or not, Walgreens Boots Alliance is zeroed in and making headway on its strategic game plan, according to Jefferies analyst Brian Tanquilut. Following a visit to WBA’s headquarters in Deerfield, Ill., last week by the Jefferies team, Tanquilut reported that the CVS deal didn’t “prompt a kneejerk reaction,” and WBA executives remain
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health plans to acquire health insurer Aetna for roughly $69 billion in a first-of-its kind deal aimed at fending off challenges in retail and health care. The landmark CVS-Aetna merger deal comes at time when insurers are under pressure to lower medical costs, and retailers are under attack from new competitors,
NEW YORK — Fears among pharmacy players and investors that e-tail giant Amazon plans to enter the industry may be overblown — at least for the time being, according to Jefferies analyst Brian Tanquilut. Pharmacy stocks, including pharmacy retailers and suppliers, have taken a pounding since the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported last week that Amazon
Published reports said Thursday that CVS Health is in negotiations to acquire health insurer Aetna. CVS reportedly will offer more than $200 share, or about $66 billion, to purchase the health benefits giant, according to anonymous sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, which originated the story about a potential CVS-Aetna deal. Bloomberg reported that
NEW YORK — Wall Street analysts say the fog around Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Rite Aid Corp. is set to clear after a nearly two-year process that culminated in an unsuccessful merger and a deal to sell over 40% of Rite Aid’s stores to WBA. The Federal Trade Commission late last month approved a
NEW YORK — The impending closure of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s purchase of nearly 2,000 Rite Aid stores will clear the fog around both companies since their terminated merger deal and enable them to move ahead, Wall Street analysts say. WBA and Rite Aid yesterday announced that the Federal Trade Commission approved a downsized agreement in
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Analysts said Walgreens Boots Alliance turned in a solid third quarter and stands to emerge on a positive note from its new deal with Rite Aid Corp. upon the termination of their merger. For the third quarter ended May 31, WBA posted net earnings (GAAP) of $1.16 billion, or $1.07 per diluted
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fred’s Pharmacy saw same-store sales edge up in May, though store closings led to a year-over-year revenue decline for the month. Fred’s said Thursday that sales for the four weeks ended May 27 totaled $160.1 million, down 3.1% from $165.2 million a year earlier. The company attributed the sales decrease to the closure
NEW YORK — Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) and Rite Aid Corp. have agreed to sell 865 Rite Aid stores and related assets to Fred’s Inc. for $950 million in cash. The deal is subject to approval by the Federal Trade Commission as well as approval and completion of the pending WBA acquisition of Rite
Though Fred’s name came up in the buzz surrounding the Walgreens-Rite Aid merger talks with the FTC, the Southeastern retailer’s move to buy 865 Rite Aid stores for $950 million in cash from Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) still was surprising. After all, not even two weeks ago, Fred’s reported poor third-quarter results (including a net
NEW YORK — CVS Health’s integrated pharmacy care model makes it a “partner of choice” in the health care arena, president and chief executive officer Larry Merlo said at the company’s annual Analyst Day event in Manhattan. Merlo and senior CVS Health executives gathered in New York on Thursday to give the investment community an
Not much else about the progress of the Walgreens-Rite Aid merger came out in yesterday’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call by Walgreens Boots Alliance. A swirl of media reports in recent months have gone back and forth about the number of store divestitures and whether the Federal Trade Commission will end up signing off on the
