Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has reaffirmed its projected adjusted earnings per share (EPS) for fiscal 2025, anticipating a range of $1.40 to $1.80. This projection accounts for growth in U.S. Healthcare and International sectors, which are expected to be counterbalanced by a slowdown in the U.S. Retail Pharmacy, an increased adjusted effective tax rate, and reduced earnings from sale-leaseback and Cencora investments.
For the first quarter, the company reported a net loss of $265 million, a significant increase from the $67 million net loss in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. This was mainly due to an elevated operating loss. The loss per share stood at $0.31, up from $0.08. Adjusted EPS declined to $0.51 from the previous year's $0.66, marking a 23.4% decrease on a constant currency basis. According to a Thomson Reuters poll, 13 analysts had, on average, projected the company would achieve a profit per share of $0.40 for the quarter, excluding special items.
First-quarter sales for WBA rose by 7.5% compared to the previous year, reaching $39.5 billion, with a 6.9% increase on a constant currency basis. This sales figure exceeded the average analyst estimate, which was $37.42 billion in revenue.
In pre-market trading on Friday, shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance saw a 10% increase.
