Analysis Of Cvs 's Top Line Hit

There are a couple of major things to be noted in the cash flow statement of Walgreens co. First and foremost is cash from operations, this is why the

5. CVS’ additional competitor Walgreens is behind them by a market cap of roughly $10

Placed within an industry being pressured by reimbursement rates, plagued by market saturation, and in constant fear of government legislation, Walgreens is trying to pursue new avenues to promote company growth. In order to promote market share growth in New York, Walgreens acquired the drugstore chain Duane Reade in 2010 (WAG to Acquire NY Institution Duane Reade, 2010). Walgreens also recently expanded their online presence in May of 2011 with the acquisition of drugstore.com (Walgreens Co.). While Walgreens also focuses on traditional organic store growth, these actions exemplify their large focus on promoting company growth through new avenues.

Note the drastic difference in the operation of the two companies, even though their ROEs are nearly the same. Chem-Med makes relatively few sales (low asset turnover), but makes a lot of money on each one (30%). Pharmacia is just the opposite - its profit margin is low, but it manages much higher sales in relation to assets. Also by using more debt than

CVS is the largest pharmacy healthcare provider in the United States. It has 7,800 retail pharmacies, more than 900 walk-in medical clinics. CVS has a presence in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and a retail drug store chain in Brazil.

The significance of this chart is the upward growth of both companies as well as the increasingly large gap Walgreens has maintained over CVS.

However, the Walgreens’ capital structure is similar to its stronger competitor CVS’ capital structure that I defined as the benchmark. CVS has a total liabilities and shareholders’ equity of $54,721.90, where total debt is $23,400 representing the 42.76% and total equity is $31,321.90 which represents 57.24%. Moreover, if we compare 2006 results to 2007, I realize that capital structure

From above, the main driver for Sears to create value for shareholders is through leverage while Wal-mart’s effective use of assets acts in increasing ROE.

On total assets Walgreens is actually showing a larger percentage increase between 2004 and 2005 fiscal years than CVS. They went from $13.34 billion to $14.61 billion or a 9% increase in assets while CVS increased from $14.55 billion to $15.28 billion or a more modest jump of 5%. As far as liabilities and stockholders’ equity

The competitive prices, countless discount opportunities, and friendly employees keep customers loyal to Walgreens even if they are not making frequent visits to the pharmacy department. This paper seeks to analyze the different components of the drug store industry and the aspects of the marketing strategy of the Walgreens Company that have kept it a strong competitor for so many years.

CVS, Wal-Mart, Medco Health and Rite Aid are Walgreens’ major competitors. Wal-Mart aggressively competes by its use of the $4 generic prescriptions promotion. CVS employs a similar strategy by offering a 90-day supply of generic medications for $9.99. Medco Health also competes with CVS by offering a 90-day supply of medications for a cheaper price than a customer would pay in-store. As of 2008, Walgreens and its major competitors were measured as follows10:

Don Edwards, a recent MBA graduate has been asked to analyze the financial performance of Sears and Wal-Mart. Although Wal-Mart is the industry powerhouse, its 20% return on equity (ROE) lags behind that of Sears’ 22%.

This preliminary strategic assessment of Walgreens will describe the company’s current corporate strategy and business model. Walgreens’ acquisitions and mergers will be examined as well as the company’s globalization and competitive frame. A brief overview of how the company is performing and its cost-based business strategy will also be examined. This is the first of four reports that make up the strategic assessment for Walgreens.

Along with the company's strong market performance, the Walgreens Corporation continually shows considerable growth. 2006 ended with Walgreens' 32nd consecutive year of record sales and earnings ("Walgreen Co. reports..., 2006). Walgreens' 2005 sales of $47.4 were a 12.5% increase over the previous year and over $1.5 billion in earnings were a 15.5% increase over the previous year (Walgreens Corporation, 2006a). Furthermore, a new Walgreens store opens approximately every 19 hours (Carpenter, 2004). Consequently, the Walgreens name carries considerable brand equity as a nationwide retailer known for quality and convenience. In fact, Walgreens has positioned itself as the drugstore offering the most convenience (Walgreens Corporation, 2006c). As such, Walgreens offers drive-thru pharmacies in over 80% of its stores, and nearly 30% of stores are open 24 hours a day (Walgreens Corporation, 2006a). The company strives to offer a merchandise mix in line with this focus, providing customers with one-stop stopping for not only prescription drugs,

Also, the drug distribution division has been forced to lower its prices by health care providers, patients, insurance companies and HMOs. Moreover, related costs are increasing, reducing profit margins of the company. This division is not as profitable as other three divisions, generating less than 50% of the company’s total profits,