It’s More Than Earnings Holding Back Walgreens

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By Chris Lange Published
It’s More Than Earnings Holding Back Walgreens

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Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA | WBA Price Prediction) slid on Thursday after the company reported its fiscal third-quarter financial results. The company said that it had $0.83 in earnings per share (EPS) and $34.6 billion in revenue, which fell short of consensus estimates that called for $1.17 in EPS and $34.35 billion in revenue. The same period of last year reportedly had EPS of $1.47 in EPS and revenue of $34.59 billion.

During the fiscal third quarter, sales increased 0.1%, or 1.2% on a constant currency basis, led by Retail Pharmacy USA comparable sales growth of 3.0%.

Retail Pharmacy USA segment sales increased 3.2% to $27.4 billion, including the impact of previously announced store closures. Sales in comparable stores increased 3.0% from the year-ago quarter.

Retail Pharmacy International had third-quarter sales of $1.9 billion, a decrease of 31.5% year over year, including an adverse currency impact of 5.3%. Sales decreased 26.2% on a constant currency basis, mainly due to a 27.7% decrease in Boots UK sales as foot traffic in stores was severely disrupted by COVID-19 restrictions.

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Pharmaceutical Wholesale had a third-quarter sales increase of 0.6% to $5.9 billion, including an adverse currency impact of 4.8%. On a constant currency basis, sales increased 5.3%, led by the United Kingdom and Germany.

Net cash from operating activities totaled $3.4 billion, an increase of $183 million from last year. Free cash flow increased 23.7% to $2.4 billion. The company ended the quarter with $768 million in cash and cash equivalents on the books, compared with $1.02 billion at the end of fiscal 2019.

Looking ahead, Walgreens expects to see full fiscal year EPS in the range of $4.65 to $4.75, including an estimated impact of COVID-19 of $1.03 to $1.14 per share. For the year, analysts are calling for $5.42 in EPS and $139.26 billion in revenue.

Walgreens stock traded down 9% on Thursday, at $38.41 in a 52-week range of $36.65 to $64.50. The consensus price target is $45.76.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics. Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications. A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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