Shares of Fred's, Inc. , popularly known as Fred’s Pharmacy, rallied nearly 23% on Jun 26, on rumors about the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) approval of the much-awaited acquisition of Rite Aid Corporation by Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA - Free Report) . However, we await FTC’s final decision on the merger slated for Jul 7.
The possible nod of FTC on Rite Aid-Walgreens merger has also paved way for Fred’s. The company had inked a deal in Dec 2016 with Rite Aid and Walgreens to buy 865 stores located in the eastern and western U.S., along with certain assets for a total cash outlay of $950 million. Additionally, Fred’s Pharmacy announced that it might buy additional assets, including up to 1,200 Rite Aid stores, in order to obtain the FTC’s approval for the transaction.
How the Deal Would Benefit Fred?
The acquisition of these pharmacy stores is very crucial for Fred’s as it will place the company as the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S. after Walgreens and CVS Health Corporation (CVS - Free Report) . At present, the company operates 601 pharmacy and general merchandise outlets, along with three specialty pharmacy-only locations, comprising 14 franchised locations as of Jun 26, 2017. In addition, it possesses two distribution centers, each in Memphis, TN and Dublin, GA. The buyout of Rite Aid stores will more than double the company’s store count and would boost its network.
We note that Fred’s witnessed a slowdown in traffic in the last few quarters. This is evident from its sales that have been declining due to the fall in comparable store sales. Furthermore, the company has been reporting loss in the last four quarters.
In fact, the sluggishness is well reflected in the stock price performance of the company. Shares of Fred’s have declined over 14% in the past one year compared with the Zacks categorized Retail – Discount & Variety industry’s decline of 8.2%.
The deal is expected to aid this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company spark a turnaround. Additionally, the acquisitions will complement Fred’s strategy of focusing on the pharmacy department and contributing significantly to its overall performance. We believe that it will also improve the company’s healthcare growth strategy and would largely benefit its customers, patients, supplier partners and other stakeholders, going forward.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - Q1 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 11X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>>
Zacks Names "Single Best Pick to Double"
From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.
It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time.
This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year.
Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >>
Shares of Fred's, Inc. , popularly known as Fred’s Pharmacy, rallied nearly 23% on Jun 26, on rumors about the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) approval of the much-awaited acquisition of Rite Aid Corporation by Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA - Free Report) . However, we await FTC’s final decision on the merger slated for Jul 7.
The possible nod of FTC on Rite Aid-Walgreens merger has also paved way for Fred’s. The company had inked a deal in Dec 2016 with Rite Aid and Walgreens to buy 865 stores located in the eastern and western U.S., along with certain assets for a total cash outlay of $950 million. Additionally, Fred’s Pharmacy announced that it might buy additional assets, including up to 1,200 Rite Aid stores, in order to obtain the FTC’s approval for the transaction.
How the Deal Would Benefit Fred?
The acquisition of these pharmacy stores is very crucial for Fred’s as it will place the company as the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S. after Walgreens and CVS Health Corporation (CVS - Free Report) . At present, the company operates 601 pharmacy and general merchandise outlets, along with three specialty pharmacy-only locations, comprising 14 franchised locations as of Jun 26, 2017. In addition, it possesses two distribution centers, each in Memphis, TN and Dublin, GA. The buyout of Rite Aid stores will more than double the company’s store count and would boost its network.
We note that Fred’s witnessed a slowdown in traffic in the last few quarters. This is evident from its sales that have been declining due to the fall in comparable store sales. Furthermore, the company has been reporting loss in the last four quarters.
In fact, the sluggishness is well reflected in the stock price performance of the company. Shares of Fred’s have declined over 14% in the past one year compared with the Zacks categorized Retail – Discount & Variety industry’s decline of 8.2%.
The deal is expected to aid this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company spark a turnaround. Additionally, the acquisitions will complement Fred’s strategy of focusing on the pharmacy department and contributing significantly to its overall performance. We believe that it will also improve the company’s healthcare growth strategy and would largely benefit its customers, patients, supplier partners and other stakeholders, going forward.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies
It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +18.8% from 2016 - Q1 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +157.0%, +128.0%, +97.8%, +94.7%, and +90.2% respectively.
And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - Q1 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 11X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>>
Zacks Names "Single Best Pick to Double"
From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.
It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time.
This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year.
Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >>
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