Drug Retail

Shares of Walgreen Co (NYSE: WAG) dropped about 0.9% after the retailer reported a 3.8% rise in its February same-store sales. However, analysts were expecting a rise of 3.5% in same-store sales. WAG’s total February sales rose 7.8% to $5.73 billion.   Shares of Wendy's/Arby...

  Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) today announced sales results for February.     For the five weeks ended February 26, 2011, same store sales increased 1.0 percent over the prior-year period. Front-end same store sales increased 1.1 percent while pharmacy same store sales,...

  Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) had February sales of $5.73 billion, an increase of 7.8 percent from $5.32 billion for the same month in 2010. Duane Reade stores, acquired in April 2010, contributed 2.7 percentage points to the total sales increase for the month. Total front-end sales increased...

8am comps today were pretty disappointing for the retail sector. Dillard's (NYSE: DDS) failed to meet comps estimates of +2.4%, coming in at -1%. Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) failed to beat comps estimates of +3.6%, coming in at +3.1%. Target (NYSE: TGT) failed to beat comps estimates of +2.0%, coming in...

ActiveHealth Management, an independent subsidiary of Aetna (NYSE: AET), and CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) today announced a three-year agreement designed to help further improve the health of CVS Caremark members. Under the agreement, CVS Caremark will apply the evidence-based, clinical intelligence...

In connection with the previously announced acquisition of the Medicare Part D business of Universal American (NYSE: UAM) by CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS), both companies announced today that the Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act...

Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) today received notice from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that the company has regained compliance with the exchange's share price listing requirement. Rite Aid regained compliance after its closing share price on February 28, 2011 and its average closing share...

CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS) announced today that Larry J. Merlo has assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer. Merlo, now President and Chief Executive Officer of CVS Caremark, succeeds Thomas M. Ryan who will remain Non-Executive Chairman until his retirement at the company's Annual...

Morgan Stanley is raising its PT on shares of Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) from $44 to $50. Walgreen Co. closed Friday at $41.97.

Graymark Healthcare Inc. (Nasdaq: GRMH) realized a 225% year-over-year increase in patient resupply shipments in January, a record level for what is typically a slow month.

Credit Suisse has an Outperform rating and a $42 price target on shares of CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS). In a note to clients, Credit Suisse writes, "The CVS/Caremark transaction is quickly rising among the ranks of disappointing deals in corporate M&A history. We find the company's...

Jefferies left its CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) Buy rating and $39 price target unchanged in a research report published today. In the report, Jefferies states, "CVS/Caremark's valuation remains quite attractive as does its significant cash flow generation. The PBM, however, is still struggling to find...

Brian Sozzi of Wall Street Strategies is out with a research note discussing his latest potential idea for a retail company to go private. In the note, Sozzi picks Fred's, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRED) as his idea to most likely go public. There has been the continuous rumors that private-equity might bid...

According to Merchant Medicine's "2011-2015 Walk-In Clinic Market Forecast," the number of retail clinics in the U.S. could almost double from the current level of 1,220 clinics to 2,315 by 2015 under a "mid-case scenario," and the number could more than triple to 3,380 under the "best-case...

UBS is out with a research report this morning regarding its Ratings and Price Target changes. In the report, UBS lowered its AutoNation (NYSE: AN) price target to $27 from $20, lowered its CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) price target to $42 from $46, raised Diamond Offshore Drilling's (NYSE: DO) price...