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AmerisourceBergen (ABC) to Repurchase Common Stock Worth $200M

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AmerisourceBergen Corporation announced that it would repurchase shares of its common stock worth approximately $200 million. The repurchase is being done in concurrence with Walgreens Boots Alliance’s (WBA - Free Report) sale of AmerisourceBergen shares pursuant to Rule 144 — a rule that provides an exemption and permits the public resale of restricted or control securities if several conditions are met.

Please note that Walgreens Boots Alliance owns the retail pharmacy chains Walgreens and Boots and several pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution companies. The company is the largest shareholder in AmerisourceBergen. Per a Reuters article, Walgreens Boots Alliance has sold nearly 3% stake in AmerisourceBergen, bringing down its total stake to approximately 17%, for proceeds of $1 billion. AmerisourceBergen’s share repurchase is in concurrence with the recent WBA’s stake sale.

AmerisourceBergen stated that the shares that will be repurchased in concurrence with WBA’s stake sale would be held in treasury. The share sale will not impact on the long-term partnership between the two companies, per Walgreens Boots Alliance’s management.

The proceeds from Walgreens Boots Alliance’s stake sale in ABC will likely be used to pay down debt and to fund strategic priorities, including the acquisition of urgent care provider — Summit Health — by Walgreens-backed VillageMD for $9 billion.

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We note that shares of AmerisourceBergen have rallied 24.4% so far this year, creating wealth for its investors, including Walgreens Boots Alliance. Share of ABC touched an all-time high earlier this month before a small decline last week. The recent rally, taking the company’s share to its highest level ever, is likely to continue next year on the back of its strong business segments, especially the World Courier business. The optimism led by solid fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 performance and strength in its U.S. healthcare solutions business are expected to contribute further. However, stiff competition and headwinds from contract renewals persist.

Investors are upbeat about World Courier’s solid foothold in global specialty logistics services, which has been driving compelling volume growth and overall performance for ABC. The business has been delivering robust results in recent times and the fiscal fourth quarter of 2022 was no exception. World Courier’s robust business fundamentals position it for another year of strong growth.

AmerisourceBergen’s robust fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results buoy optimism. The company’s robust segmental performance in the quarter is encouraging. AmerisourceBergen’s introduction of AB Health Ventures — a dedicated corporate venture capital fund — focused on investing in and collaborating with emerging healthcare startup companies involved in transforming healthcare for people and animals worldwide deserves mention. The expansion of both margins bodes well.

 

Key Picks

A couple of better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. (AMN - Free Report) and ShockWave Medical, Inc. .

AMN Healthcare, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present, has an estimated long-term growth rate of 3.3%. AMN’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four quarters, the average beat being 10.9%.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

AMN Healthcare has lost 5.9% compared with the industry’s 30.9% decline so far this year.

ShockWave Medical, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present, has an estimated growth rate of 23.6% for 2023. SWAV’s earnings surpassed estimates in all the trailing four quarters, the average beat being 146.1%.

ShockWave Medical has gained 29% against the industry’s 26.7% decline so far this year.


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