McKesson Reports Fiscal 2017 Third-Quarter Results

• Revenues of $50.1 billion for the third quarter, up 5% year-over-year.
• Third-quarter GAAP earnings per diluted share from continuing operations of $2.86, up 6% year-over-year.
• Excluding Cost Alignment Plan charges of two cents from Adjusted Earnings, third-quarter results per diluted share of $3.05, down 4% compared to $3.18 in the prior year.
• Fiscal 2017 Outlook: GAAP earnings per diluted share from continuing operations of $9.80 to $10.30.
• Fiscal 2017 Outlook: $12.60 to $12.90 per diluted share, which excludes approximately $1.28 to $1.30 in charges to Adjusted Earnings related to a goodwill impairment and the Cost Alignment Plan, up from previous outlook of $12.35 to $12.85.
• Announced definitive agreement to acquire CoverMyMeds to strengthen our technology offerings to pharmaceutical manufacturers, clinicians and payers.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) today reported that revenues for the third quarter ended December 31, 2016, were $50.1 billion, up 5% compared to $47.9 billion a year ago. On the basis of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), third-quarter earnings per diluted share from continuing operations was $2.86, compared to $2.71 a year ago.

Third-quarter Adjusted Earnings were $3.03 per diluted share. Third-quarter results included pre-tax charges totaling $4 million, or approximately two cents per diluted share, related to the company’s cost alignment plan disclosed in March 2016 (the “Cost Alignment Plan”). Third-quarter results primarily benefited from a lower tax rate, partially offset by a softer pricing environment in our U.S. Pharmaceutical business within Distribution Solutions compared to the prior year.

For the first nine months of the fiscal year, McKesson generated cash from operations of $3.3 billion, and ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $2.4 billion. Through the first nine months of the fiscal year, McKesson paid $4.2 billion for acquisitions, repurchased $2.0 billion of its common stock, repaid approximately $390 million in long-term debt, invested $369 million internally and paid $192 million in dividends. And our expectation for full-year cash flow from operations remains consistent with our original guidance.

On January 24, 2017, McKesson entered into an agreement to acquire CoverMyMeds for approximately $1.1 billion, or $0.9 billion net of incremental cash tax benefits. The agreement also includes a maximum $0.3 billion of consideration contingent upon CoverMyMeds’ financial performance through the fiscal year ending 2019. CoverMyMeds is a privately-owned company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, that provides electronic prior authorization solutions to pharmacies, providers, payers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review, and is expected to close in the first half of Fiscal 2018.

“I am pleased with our strong cash flow generation and our ability to deploy capital in meaningful and productive ways, particularly strategic acquisitions and share repurchases,” said John H. Hammergren, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our announced acquisition of CoverMyMeds supports McKesson’s commitment to provide a comprehensive set of services and solutions that drive value across the healthcare continuum and secure patients’ access to their prescribed drugs. McKesson continues to further enhance its diverse suite of pharmaceutical technology solutions to support the very best in patient care.”

Segment Results

Distribution Solutions revenues were $49.4 billion for the quarter, up 5% on a reported basis and 6% on a constant currency basis.

North America pharmaceutical distribution and services revenues of $41.7 billion for the quarter were up 5% both on a reported and constant currency basis, primarily reflecting market growth and acquisitions, partially offset by branded to generic conversions.

International pharmaceutical distribution and services revenues were $6.2 billion for the quarter, up 3% on a reported basis and 10% on a constant currency basis, driven by acquisitions and market growth.

Medical-Surgical distribution and services revenues were $1.6 billion for the quarter, down 1% compared to the prior year both on a reported and constant currency basis.

In the third quarter, Distribution Solutions GAAP operating profit was $813 million and GAAP operating margin was 1.64%. On a constant currency basis, third-quarter adjusted operating profit was $809 million, down 24% from the prior year, and adjusted operating margin was 1.62%.

Technology Solutions revenues of $0.7 billion were flat both on a reported and constant currency basis in the third quarter, primarily driven by an anticipated year-over-year decline in our hospital software business, offset by growth in our other technology businesses.

Technology Solutions GAAP operating profit was $132 million for the third quarter and GAAP operating margin was 19.02%. On a constant currency basis, adjusted operating profit was $168 million for the third quarter, up 26% from the prior year, and adjusted operating margin was 24.24%.

“Although we were unfavorably impacted in the third quarter by weaker branded pharmaceutical pricing than anticipated, we are updating our Fiscal 2017 outlook to reflect McKesson’s lower full-year effective tax rate,” continued Hammergren. “As a result, we now expect Adjusted Earnings per diluted share from continuing operations of $12.60 to $12.90 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017,” concluded Hammergren.

Fiscal 2017 Outlook

McKesson expects GAAP earnings per diluted share between $9.80 to $10.30 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. Adjusted Earnings per diluted share excludes the following items:

• Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets of $1.30 to $1.45 per diluted share;
• Acquisition expenses and related adjustments of 65 cents to 75 cents per diluted share;
• LIFO inventory-related credits of 60 to 70 cents per diluted share; and
• Claim and litigation reserve credits of one cent per diluted share for average wholesale price litigation matters.

Excluding the second-quarter EIS goodwill impairment charge and an anticipated 2 to 4 cents in expected Cost Alignment Plan charges from Adjusted Earnings, McKesson expects $12.60 to $12.90 per diluted share for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017.

The Fiscal 2017 guidance ranges do not include any potential claim or litigation reserve adjustments, or the impact of any potential new acquisitions and divestitures, or impairments and material restructurings beyond those previously publicly disclosed.

Adjusted Earnings

McKesson separately reports financial results on the basis of Adjusted Earnings. Adjusted Earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as GAAP income from continuing operations, excluding amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition expenses and related adjustments, claim and litigation reserve adjustments reflecting the company’s reserves for controlled substance distribution claims and average wholesale price litigation matters, and Last-In-First-Out (“LIFO”) inventory-related adjustments. A reconciliation of McKesson’s GAAP financial results to Adjusted Earnings is provided in Schedules 2, 3 and 4 of the financial statement tables included with this release.

Constant Currency

McKesson also presents its financial results on a constant currency basis. The company conducts business worldwide in local currencies, including the Euro, British pound and Canadian dollar. As a result, the comparability of the financial results reported in U.S. dollars can be affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Constant currency information is presented to provide a framework for assessing how the company’s business performed excluding the effect of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. The supplemental constant currency information of the company’s GAAP financial results and Adjusted Earnings (Non-GAAP) is provided in Schedule 3 of the financial statement tables included with this release.

Risk Factors

Except for historical information contained in this press release, matters discussed may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. These statements may be identified by their use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “seeks”, “approximately”, “intends”, “plans”, “estimates” or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. The discussion of financial trends, strategy, plans or intentions may also include forward-looking statements. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks and uncertainties; however, the most significant of these risks and uncertainties are described in the company’s Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and include, but are not limited to: changes in the U.S. healthcare industry and regulatory environment; managing foreign expansion, including the related operating, economic, political and regulatory risks; changes in the Canadian healthcare industry and regulatory environment; exposure to European economic conditions, including recent austerity measures taken by certain European governments; changes in the European regulatory environment with respect to privacy and data protection regulations; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the company’s ability to successfully identify, consummate, finance and integrate acquisitions; the company’s ability to manage and complete divestitures; material adverse resolution of pending legal proceedings; competition and industry consolidation; substantial defaults in payment or a material reduction in purchases by, or the loss of, a large customer or group purchasing organization; the loss of government contracts as a result of compliance or funding challenges; public health issues in the U.S. or abroad; cyberattack, natural disaster, or malfunction of sophisticated internal computer systems to perform as designed; the adequacy of insurance to cover property loss or liability claims; the company’s failure to attract and retain customers for its software products and solutions due to integration and implementation challenges, or due to an inability to keep pace with technological advances; the company’s proprietary products and services may not be adequately protected, and its products and solutions may be found to infringe on the rights of others; system errors or failure of our technology products or services to conform to specifications; disaster or other event causing interruption of customer access to data residing in our service centers; the delay or extension of our sales or implementation cycles for external software products; changes in circumstances that could impair our goodwill or intangible assets; new or revised tax legislation or challenges to our tax positions; general economic conditions, including changes in the financial markets that may affect the availability and cost of credit to the company, its customers or suppliers; changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; withdrawal from participation in multiemployer pension plans or if such plans are reported to have underfunded liabilities; inability to realize the expected benefits from the company’s restructuring and business process initiatives; difficulties with outsourcing and similar third party relationships; risks associated with the company’s retail expansion; and the company’s inability to keep existing retail store locations or open new retail locations in desirable places. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are first made. Except to the extent required by law, the company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Conference Call Details

The company has scheduled a conference call for today, Wednesday, January 25^th, at 5:00 PM ET. The dial-in number for individuals wishing to participate on the call is 719-234-7317. Craig Mercer, senior vice president, Investor Relations, is the leader of the call, and the password to join the call is ‘McKesson’. The live webcast and supplementary slide presentation for the conference call can be accessed on the company’s Investor Relations website at http://investor.mckesson.com.

A telephonic replay of this conference call will be available for five calendar days. The dial-in number for individuals wishing to listen to the replay is 719-457-0820 and the pass code is 2152494.

The audio webcast and supplemental slide presentation will be archived on the company’s Investor Relations website after the conclusion of the call. Shareholders are encouraged to review the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the supplementary slide presentation for the conference call, which are located on the company’s website.

About McKesson Corporation

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 5th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to making the business of healthcare run better. McKesson partners with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that deliver better care to patients in every setting. McKesson helps its customers improve their financial, operational, and clinical performance with solutions that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.

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