(1888PressRelease)
March 20, 2009 - Mira, Portugal – SADIF Investment Analytics SA, today announced the release of a new equity research report covering Walgreen Company (WAG). The report utilizes SADIF's powerful StockMarks™ stock rating system and is required reading for any current or potential Walgreen Company investor.
Report Summary: US drugstore chain operator Walgreen Company reports fiscal second quarter results on March 23rd. The company's latest sales announcement revealed that during February, comparable same-store total sales rose 1.9% while non-prescription front-end sales dropped 0.2% for the same period in 2008. Total sales for all stores rose 3.4%, the weakest growth for the company in the past year. However, the results are better than expected given that the company's shares have fallen by just under 50% since September 2008. Walgreens added 550 stores to its network during the past year bringing the total to 7,176 locations. On March 18th the company announced that it has agreed to acquire 32 of bankrupt drugstore chain Drug Fair's New Jersey stores.
However, investors will be looking for sustainable growth plans when the company announces its results on March 23rd. While Walgreens operates in a relatively non-cyclical sector, the company has already noted changes in consumer spending habits, from the reduction in non-prescription sales to filling an increased number of 90-day prescriptions rather than 30-day prescriptions. In order to assess Walgreens as a long-term investment, we should focus on the company's long-term underlying fundamentals. Walgreens currently has an overall long-term investment-attractiveness rating (Total StockMark or SMT) of 32, rating the company below the US market average. This rating places Walgreens fifth when compared to nine of the company's closest US peers, selected on the basis of similarity of business and market positioning factors such as size. The company's peer list is shown below.
The complete report breaks down the Total StockMark into its three components – Business, Management and Price, performing a thorough analysis of Walgreen Company for long-term investors.
A summary of the StockMarks™ ratings for Walgreen Company is available here:
http://sadifanalytics.com/stockmarks/company.php?ticker=WAG&cod_country=125
The report has been distributed to Reuters, and forwarded to Yahoo Finance and FT.com. It is available under 'Analyst Reports' from these websites, from multiple professional platforms including Reuters Knowledge, TheMarkets.com and Thomson Research or directly from SADIF-Investment Analytics SA at:
http://sadifanalytics.com/stockmarks/article/hist_article.php?cod_country=125
About SADIF-Investment Analytics SA:
SADIF-Investment Analytics SA is an independent investment research company covering sixteen different markets and over 12,000 companies. The StockMarks™ system is based on proven investment principles and is designed to drive long-term shareholder returns.
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