Topic: How To Invest

Hi, Pat: I would appreciate your advice on this stock: CVS Health Corp. Thanks

Article Excerpt

CVS Health Corp., $93.79, symbol CVS on New York (Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $103.7 billion; www.cvshealth.com), has two main businesses: The Pharmacy Services division (66% of revenue) helps employers, insurers, unions and government agencies manage their drug-coverage plans. It also distributes prescription drugs to patients through the mail, as well as to 68,000 U.S. pharmacies. The Retail Pharmacy division (34%) operates over 7,900 drugstores in 44 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Brazil. Many of these outlets also feature walk-in clinics. CVS has a long history of expanding by acquisition. In June 2015, it agreed to acquire Target Corp.’s in-store pharmacies and clinics, which included 1,660 pharmacies in 47 states. CVS will operate these outlets under the “CVS/pharmacy” banner. As part of the deal, a CVS location will be included in all new Target stores that also have drugstores. The company will pay Target $1.9 billion when it completes the purchase, probably by the end of 2015. The agreement should add $0.06 a..