After years of a downtrend of their worth, shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. NASDAQ: WBA have thrown within the towel this time. In a single day, the inventory is down over 25% in an indication that may’t be taken in every other method than a ‘run’ message. Nonetheless, some stay hopeful concerning the inventory recovering, however that will be severely disconnected from present fundamentals.

At present, buyers get an opportunity to audit the primary drivers behind Walgreens and are available to a better-educated conclusion as as to if the inventory is value conserving on a watchlist. Extra particularly, buyers ought to watch the developments between Walgreens and its most important competitor, CVS Well being Co. NYSE: CVS, as a result of the traits couldn’t be extra obvious.

Final however not least, savvy buyers perceive that it isn’t simply Walgreens and CVS at stake on this turbulent time but in addition entities that again Walgreens areas, resembling its landlords. In keeping with the saying, one man’s trash is one other man’s treasure, so right here is how to determine the place the true treasure hunt will find yourself.

Walgreens vs. CVS: Financials Break Down the Competitors

There’s, after all, a superb cause for the value crash on shares of Walgreens, and it’s received all the pieces to do with the corporate’s financials. For starters, buyers can break aside the latest quarterly results to determine what occurred behind the scenes.

Whereas the corporate’s press launch factors to earnings per share (EPS) almost quadrupling, the truth couldn’t be additional. Subsequently, internet earnings and EPS will be simply manipulated. In distinction, different metrics like free money circulation (working money circulation minus capital expenditures) can not.

Because of this buyers ought to concentrate on that as a substitute, and right here’s what they’d discover: a internet working outflow of $314 million, minus $1.1 billion in capital expenditures, for a damaging free money circulation of over $1.3 billion. Since an organization can not run with out money circulation, seeing what administration did subsequent is smart.

The plan is to close a ‘significant’ amount of Walgreens locations, assuming they’re unprofitable. Whereas this might release some money and lower overhead bills, it received’t be sufficient to offset the unprofitable operations that lie on the coronary heart of the corporate.

As a result of Walgreens has no free money circulation, it can not fund its operations additional with out taking up debt or diluting shareholders. Due to this, the inventory’s 8.2% dividend yield must be nothing in need of a crimson flag to buyers, a bait to keep away from.

However, right here’s what will be mentioned about CVS’s financials. The corporate’s latest quarterly results present buyers working money circulation of $4.9 billion, leaving them with optimistic free money circulation even after $705 million in capital expenditures. What administration selected to do with this capital was additionally the fitting factor.

As much as $3 billion was put aside to repurchase inventory, compounding the upside results for present shareholders. This pattern should be why analysts at J.P. Morgan Chase noticed it match to spice up CVS’s valuations to $86 a share, daring it to rally by 47.2% from the place it sits as we speak.

Now that the mud is settled, buyers can zoom out of this dramatic worth motion and discover themselves with the following neatest thing, Walgreens’ landlord Realty Revenue Co. NYSE: O, an actual property funding belief (REIT) recognized for paying month-to-month dividends as a substitute of quarterly.

The Greatest Revenue a Dip Can Purchase: Realty Revenue Inventory

As Walgreens’ landlord, Realty Revenue inventory is uncovered to the closure of a whole lot of areas. Nonetheless, markets habitually exaggerate issues, so right here’s simply how uncovered they are surely.

In keeping with these at Stifel Nicolaus, , daring it to rally by as a lot as 24% from the place it trades as we speak. Greater than that, Wall Avenue nonetheless in Realty Revenue this 12 months, maintaining with inflation and GDP progress.

Earlier than you think about CVS Well being, you may need to hear this.

MarketBeat retains observe of Wall Avenue’s top-rated and finest performing analysis analysts and the shares they advocate to their purchasers every day. MarketBeat has recognized the 5 shares that prime analysts are quietly whispering to their purchasers to purchase now earlier than the broader market catches on… and CVS Well being wasn’t on the checklist.

Whereas CVS Well being presently has a “Reasonable Purchase” score amongst analysts, top-rated analysts consider these 5 shares are higher buys.

Questioning what the following shares shall be that hit it large, with strong fundamentals? Click on the hyperlink beneath to study extra about how your portfolio may bloom.

Get This Free Report

Like this text? Share it with a colleague.

Hyperlink copied to clipboard.