WBA

Target, Kroger Launch Counterattack on Amazon-Whole Foods; Industry Earnings to Shrink

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Image Source: Valuentum The pricing war has begun, but it may take years before we see the final effects. Only the strongest may come out ahead, and only those already focusing on giving customers the very best value proposition at the lowest prices may retain share. By Brian Nelson, CFA The grocery store business is now on a path of significant change in the wake of news that Amazon (AMZN) would acquire upscale organic grocer Whole Foods (WFM). The online retailing giant has wasted little time in resetting the product pricing environment at Whole Foods, and we expect that other grocers will have to follow. The group had already been on high alert given recent language from Kroger (KR), suggesting … Read more

CVS Health Still Stuck in Neutral

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CVS Health continues to perform as expected in the current lower reimbursement environment. We remain enthused with the copious amount of free cash flow that the enterprise produces, which has allowed management to continue its shareholder-friendly ways. We remain vigilant for signs of a key inflection point, however, and a catalyst may exist in the results of the current PBM selling season. By Alexander J. Poulos Overview CVS Health (CVS) operates a hybrid pharmacy model–it has melded together a ubiquitous pharmacy chain with a world-class Pharmaceutical Benefit Management (PBM) business. The hybrid model directly contrasts with the model operated by its primary rival Walgreens (WBA), which maintains a focus on pharmacy retail operations. The pharmacy retail field continues to consolidate … Read more

Generic Drug Price Deflation Continues to Weigh on Shares of Teva

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Shares of former Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio idea Teva Pharmaceuticals have come under renewed selling pressure after reporting weak quarterly results due largely to deflationary price pressures felt in the generic drug division. Teva has been relatively powerless in stopping the trend. We had removed the shares from the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio well before the last leg down, and the Dividend Cushion ratio warned of tremendous risk to the sustainability of the dividend far in advance. By Alexander J. Poulos and Kris Rosemann Generic Drug Deflation Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA) maintains its position as one of the world’s largest manufacturer of generic medications, but the marketplace for a generic drug differs from the market dynamics of the branded space. We view … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending July 14

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending July 14. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week Acme United (ACU): now $0.11 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. Antero Midstream (AM): now $0.32 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.30. Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund (ARDC): now $0.1050 per share monthly dividend, was $0.1025. Basset Furniture (BSET): now $0.11 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. China Petroleum & Chemical (SNP): now $2.2013 per share semi-annual dividend, was $1.0532. Computer Services (CSVI): now $0.31 per … Read more

Walgreens Builds Out Its Network

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Image Source: Mike Mozart Walgreens continues its quest to build out its network of pharmacies. The goal is to maintain the largest network in the US, which would make exclusion from a payer’s network very difficult. Let’s review the recently-revised terms of the deal to acquire a portion of Rite Aid, the third-largest pharmacy chain in the US. By Alexander J. Poulos The Quest to Expand the Network Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), under the very capable leadership of Stefano Pessina, is attempting to transform into a global pharmacy-led health and wellbeing provider. The genesis of the idea was initiated with the combination of Boots Alliance, a predominately UK-based pharmacy chain with Walgreens. Upon the consummation of the deal in 2014, … Read more

Amazon To Buy Whole Foods: Not Creative Destruction, Just Destruction

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Image Source: Mike Mozart Amazon announced plans to buy Whole Foods. We’re viewing the news as affirmation of our decision to stay largely away from retail exposure in the newsletter portfolios. We think a bidding war for Whole Foods is possible, mostly to keep it and its real estate out of the hands of Amazon, potentially setting up for a true “winner’s curse” scenario. The winner will overpay. By Brian Nelson, CFA We’re not pleased, but then again, it’s okay. Amazon (AMZN) announced June 16 that it will buy high-end grocer Whole Foods (WFM) for $42 per share in cash. Though we mentioned that Amazon was expanding into the grocery store market anecdotally, we must say that it still is … Read more

Opinion: Is Amazon Prepared to Tackle the Pharmacy Market?

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The meteoric rise of Amazon, both with respect to the breadth of its business operations and stock price, continues. On news of the rumor of its potential entry into the pharmacy market, entities speculated that may feel an impact immediately sold off. Though it’s much too early to estimate the extent of any impact Amazon’s entrance into the pharmacy market may bring, let’s take look at potential implications, courtesy of healthcare and biotech contributor Alexander J. Poulos. By Alexander J. Poulos Recent Amazon Hire Ignites Speculation Amazon (AMZN) has quietly added a leader to build an in-house Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) for its employees. Mark Lyons, formerly of Premera Blue Cross, has joined the e-commerce and web services giant, and … Read more

Valuentum’s 3 Breakthroughs in the Field of Finance and More

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Valuentum’s President Brian Nelson pauses for a picture before speaking at the CFA Society of Houston in March 2017. By Valuentum Editorial Staff Let’s cover Valuentum’s 3 major breakthroughs in the field of finance. The first one is big and may challenge you to rethink everything you think you know about investing. 1. On a logical framework, Valuentum has debunked John C. Bogle’s landmark syllogism that has paved the way for the concept of index investing. Index investing has been built on a logical shortcoming, whether supported by evidence or not. We think it is important that the investment community know of this. Read (pdf): The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds (2018), Brian Nelson, CFA See video documentation: /FALLACY_of_Index_Funds To … Read more

PBMs: Express Scripts and CVS’ Looming Victory?

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Image Source: Victor We’re expecting a big win at CVS in coming years, and it may come at the expense of Express Scripts. By Alexander J. Poulos With the recent addition of CVS Health (CVS) to the newsletter portfolios, we believe the sell off in the Pharmaceutical Benefit Managers (PBM) industry is overdone. We are intrigued by the free cash flow generated from a highly-predictable business model, and that the PBM’s negotiate contracts in advance, locking in a customer for an extended period, only adds to the attractiveness of their operations. Another PBM, but a pure play, is Express Scripts (ESRX). Let’s discuss the unique characteristics of Express Scripts along with notable risks, which prevented us from adding the name … Read more

#14? You Can’t Control The Market

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Image shown: Wall Street Journal front pages from the Financial Crisis — a reminder that an investor cannot control the markets.

Should this be added to the “13 Steps…” piece?