Topic: How To Invest

Pat: I would appreciate your sage advice on the following stock: Warner Chilcott. Many thanks.

Article Excerpt

Warner Chilcott plc, $23.19, symbol WCRX on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 252.2 million; Market cap: $5.8 billion), researches and develops drugs. Its main products include Femcom Fe and Loestrin24 Fe (birth control), Enablex (bladder control), Actonel (osteoporosis), Doryx (acne) and Asacol (colitis). Warner Chilcott is based in Bermuda, but its main plants are in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Northern Ireland and Germany. North America accounts for 80% of its revenue. On October 30, 2009, the company paid $2.9 billion for the prescription-drug business of Procter & Gamble Co. (New York symbol PG). This business’s drugs include Enablex and Actonel. The company expects this business to add about $2.3 billion to its annual revenue, and $540 million to its annual earnings. Warner Chilcott borrowed $2.6 billion to help pay for this purchase. It raised an additional $1 billion by selling the exclusive U.S. marketing rights to two psoriasis drugs, Taclonex and Dovonex, to LEO Pharma A/S, the original developer of these drugs. The acquisition…