Savvy purchase for McKesson

Article Excerpt

MCKESSON CORP. $663 is a buy. The wholesale drug distributor (New York symbol MCK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 125.3 million; Market cap: $83.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.3; Dividend yield: 0.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mckesson.com) is now buying an 80% stake in PRISM Vision Holdings for $850 million. That firm provides eye care services through 91 clinics and other facilities. Prism Vision physicians will own the remaining 20%. The purchase will add between $0.20 a share and $0.30 a share to McKesson’s earnings in the first year. That contribution should rise to between $0.65 and $0.75 by the end of the third year. Meantime, McKesson will probably earn $32.76 a share in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. The stock trades at a reasonable 20.2 times that forecast. The $2.84 dividend yields 0.4%. McKesson is a buy. buy…