Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Could you give me your valued opinion on Rite Aid? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Rite Aid, $7.40, symbol RAD on New York (Shares outstanding: 975.4 million; Market cap: $7.4 billion; www.riteaid.com), is one of the largest drugstore chains in the U.S., with 4,623 outlets in 31 states and Washington, D.C. The stock has shot up from just $1 at the start of 2013, as the company has returned to profitability. Rite Aid showed its first profit in late 2012 after facing five years of losses—and the prospect of bankruptcy due to its huge debt. Rite Aid’s profits have rebounded as the company has cut its costs. It has also made a number of other moves, such as shifting to generic drugs (which are more profitable for Rite Aid than branded treatments), expanding its customer loyalty programs and linking patients and doctors with its Health Alliance computer system. In the three months ended March 31, 2014, the company’s earnings fell to $41.4 million, or $0.04 a share, from $89.7 million, or $0.09 a share, a year earlier. Revenue…