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CAMP HILL, Pa. — Boosted by its acquisition of EnvisionRx, Rite Aid Corp. saw sales rise for its fiscal 2016 fourth quarter and full year, with adjusted earnings per share topping Wall Street estimates for both periods.
Rite Aid said Thursday that for the fourth quarter ended Feb. 27, sales totaled $8.27 billion, up 20.8% from $6.85 billion a year earlier. Revenue from the company’s Pharmacy Services segment — consisting of pharmacy benefit manager EnvisionRx, acquired last June — contributed $1.5 billion in sales for the quarter.
Revenue from the Retail Pharmacy segment, primarily Rite Aid’s drug stores, dipped 0.3% to $6.83 billion for the fourth quarter from $6.85 billion in the prior-year period, mainly due to decreased same-store sales, according to the company.
Same-store sales for the quarter declined 0.6% year over year, reflecting decreases of 0.4% in the front end and 0.8% in the pharmacy. Rite Aid said that comparable pharmacy sales included a negative impact of 241 basis points introductions of new generic drugs. Prescription count edged up 0.1%, and prescription sales represented 68.1% of overall drug store sales.
On the earnings side, Rite Aid posted net income of $65.6 million, or 6 cents per diluted share, in the fourth quarter, compared with $1.84 billion, or $1.79 per diluted share, a year ago.
In the fiscal 2015 fourth quarter and full year, Rite Aid’s net earnings were favorably impacted by a reduction of the deferred tax asset valuation allowance and a full year provision of income tax expense at a statutory tax rate, the net effect of which was an income tax benefit of $1.716 billion, or $1.67 per diluted share, in the quarter and $1.682 billion, or $1.65 per diluted share, for the year.
Adjusted net income for the fiscal 2016 fourth quarter was $76.1 million, or 7 cents per diluted share, versus $65.2 million, or 6 cents per diluted share, a year earlier. Analysts, on average, had forecast adjusted EPS of 6 cents for the quarter, with their estimates at a low of 6 cents and a high of 7 cents, according to Thomson Financial.
Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) totaled $383 million, or 4.6% of revenue, for the fourth quarter, compared with $343.3 million, or 5% of revenue, a year ago. Rite Aid said the gain in adjusted EBITDA stemmed from $34.2 million of adjusted EBITDA from the Pharmacy Services segment and an increase of $5.5 million in Retail Pharmacy adjusted EBITDA. The latter resulted from an increase in front-end gross profit, partially offset by a decrease in pharmacy gross profit and an increase in selling, general and administrative expenses, the company reported.
“Our positive fourth-quarter results helped us deliver a successful fiscal year that reflects the tremendous progress we’re making to expand our retail health care offering,” Rite Aid chairman and chief executive officer John Standley said in a statement.“In the fourth quarter, we generated nearly $40 million of growth in adjusted EBITDA, including an increase in our Retail Pharmacy segment and strong results from our new Pharmacy Services segment.
“This was one of many key highlights of fiscal 2016, which was a transformational year that saw us acquire EnvisionRx, launch the ground-breaking wellness+ with Plenti program, complete our 2,000th Wellness Store and exceed $30 billion in revenue for the first time,” he noted.
For fiscal 2016, Rite Aid opened five stores, acquired six stores, expanded two stores, relocated 20 stores and closed 20 stores. The company also remodeled 412 stores, bringing the total number of Wellness Stores to 2,042. As of Feb. 27, the retailer operated 4,561 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia. During the fiscal year, 23 RediClinics were opened, bringing the total to 78.
“We look forward to building upon this success and to continue delivering a higher level of care in the communities we serve. We thank our dedicated Rite Aid associates for their hard work in executing our strategy and providing an even better retail healthcare experience for our customers,” Standley added. “We’re also excited about our opportunity to join forces with Walgreens Boots Alliance to further expand consumer access to health care as part of the first global, pharmacy-led health and well-being enterprise.”
Rite Aid reiterated that its acquisition by Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., announced in late October, is expected to close in the second half of calendar 2016, pending regulatory approval and other closing conditions. The board of directors of both companies have approved the $17.2 billion deal, and Rite Aid shareholders voted in favor of the agreement on Feb. 4. With the acquisition pending, Rite Aid said it won’t provide earnings guidance for fiscal 2017.
For the fiscal 2016, Rite Aid reported total revenue of $30.74 billion, up 15.9% from $26.53 billion in fiscal 2015. Retail Pharmacy sales rose 1.3% to $26.9 billion, mainly due to an increase in same-store sales, the company said. Pharmacy Services revenue was $4.1 billion, covering the period of June 24, 2015, the date of the EnvisionRx acquisition, to the end of the fiscal year.
Same-store sales for the year gained 1.3%, including increases of 0.2% in the front end and 1.8% in the pharmacy. Comparable pharmacy sales reflect a negative impact of 221 basis points from new generics. Prescriptions filled in comparable stores rose 0.5%, and prescription sales accounted for 69.1% of total drug store sales.
Net earnings for fiscal 2016 were $165.5 million, or 16 cents per diluted share, compared with $2.11 billion, or $2.08 per diluted share a year earlier, reflecting the previously mentioned tax benefits.
Adjusted net income for fiscal 2016 was $241 million, or 23 cents per diluted share, versus $273 million, or 27 cents per diluted share, in fiscal 2015. Rite Aid said the decline was primarily from increased interest expense incurred in connection with the acquisition of EnvisionRx and higher depreciation expense related to an increase in capital spending, partially offset by a gain in adjusted EBITDA.
Analysts’ consensus estimate was for adjusted EPS of 16 cents, with projections ranging from a low of 15 cents to a high of 17 cents, according to Thomson Financial.
Adjusted EBITDA in fiscal 2016 was $1.4 billion, or 4.6% of revenue, compared with $1.32 billion, or 5% of revenue, in the previous year. Rite Aid said the increase stemmed from $101.4 million of Pharmacy Services adjusted EBITDA, partially offset by a decrease of $21.9 million in Retail Pharmacy adjusted EBITDA. The latter reflected an increase in SG&A expenses related higher sales and a decrease in pharmacy gross profit, partially offset by an increase in front-end gross profit, according to the company.
Operating cash flow for fiscal 2016 was $1 billion, due to strong adjusted EBITDA results and contributions from working capital management, Rite Aid said. Working capital benefited mainly from a reduction in store-level pharmacy inventory, according to the company, which said it used the operating cash flow to fund capital spending and reduce borrowings after the acquisition of EnvisionRx.
