McKesson streamlines after COVID-19

Article Excerpt

Shares of drug wholesaler McKesson have surged over 270% in the past five years. That’s largely due to its deal with the U.S. government to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. Even though the pandemic has eased, the company should continue to benefit from its plan to narrow its focus to North America. MCKESSON CORP. $453 is a buy. The company (New York symbol MCK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 134.9 million; Market cap: $61.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend yield: 0.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mckesson.com) is the largest wholesale drug distributor in the U.S. and Canada. It also distributes surgical tools to hospitals, and operates the Rexall drugstore chain in Canada. In the past few years, McKesson has narrowed its focus to its main North American operations. Under that plan, in 2022, it sold the bulk of its European operations for $892 million. It also sold its U.K. operations for $144 million. McKesson used the proceeds to pay for its November 2022 purchase of Rx…