Walgreens Boots Alliance Beats Earnings Estimates In the Fourth Quarter

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., which on Tuesday agreed to buy drugstore chain Rite Aid Corp. for $9.42 billion in cash, reported profit that topped analysts’ estimates as its pharmacies filled more prescriptions and the company cut costs.

Excluding one-time items, fiscal fourth-quarter earnings were 88 cents a share, beating the 81-cent average of analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Revenue totaled $28.5 billion, matching analysts’ estimates, Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens said Wednesday in a statement.