Yahoo Finance Walgreens (WBA), Village MD Plan to Expand Into New Hampshire
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. WBA and Village MD recently announced plans to open three new Village Medical at Walgreens primary care practices in the Southern New Hampshire area by summer 2022-end, with the first opening scheduled on April 19 in Hooksett. The additional locations will open in Manchester and Nashua.
It is worth noting that the Village Medical at Walgreens locations in the New Hampshire area will employ more than 35 well-compensated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professionals. This is expected to create 80 full-time jobs.
Walgreens and VillageMD will have opened around 100 practices across 13 markets, including Arizona, Florida, Texas, Kentucky and Indiana. The companies are on track to open more than 200 practices by 2022-end.
Enhanced Accessibility to Primary Care
Walgreens pharmacy team members and Village Medical physicians work together to offer expert care for chronic conditions as well as everyday illnesses and injuries. Physicians and pharmacists work closely to fill prescriptions immediately following medical visits, frequently at the same location, and ensure patients have access to care and medical expertise.
In 2019, 23% of New Hampshire adults under age 65 were considered at high risk of experiencing serious health outcomes if infected with COVID-19 because of underlying chronic conditions like cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes. Per Walgreens’ management, Walgreens and VillageMD are working together to make it easier for the communities to access high-quality, coordinated primary care and pharmacy services.
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Village Medical at Walgreens locations accepts a wide variety of health insurance options, including Medicaid and Medicare. Patients can seek care and support through in-person, at-home and telehealth visits as well.
Industry Prospects
Per a report published in Future Market Insights, the global value-based healthcare services market is projected to witness a CAGR of 20.9% from 2021 to 2031. Factors such as the increasing incidence of chronic diseases and greater requirements for high-quality care services drive the market for value-based healthcare services.
Given these market prospects, the latest plans to open three new Village Medical at Walgreens primary care practices in the New Hampshire area seem well-timed.
Recent Developments
In January 2022, Walgreens and Village MD announced plans to open eight new Village Medical at Walgreens primary care and pharmacy practices in the Tucson area in 2022. It is worth noting that the Village Medical at Walgreens locations in the Tucson area will employ 140 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) professionals. This is expected to create 285 full-time jobs.
In December 2021, Walgreens and Village MD recently announced plans to open nine Village Medical at Walgreens primary care practices in San Antonio over the next year. These openings represent expansion into the fifth major market in Texas, following Houston, El Paso, Austin and Dallas. It is worth noting that the Village Medical at Walgreens locations in San Antonio will employ 380 well-compensated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professionals.
Price Performance
Shares of the company have lost 10.8% in a year against the industry's rise of 25.2%.
Zacks Rank and Key Picks
Walgreens currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are McKesson Corporation MCK, AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. AMN and Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. BIO.
McKesson, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), reported third-quarter fiscal 2022 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $6.15, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.38 by 14.3%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
McKesson has a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.8%. MCK has gained 55.4% compared with the industry’s 8.4% growth in the past year.
AMN Healthcare, flaunting a Zacks Rank #1, has a long-term earnings growth rate of 16.2%. The company surpassed earnings estimates in the trailing four quarters, delivering a surprise of 19.5%, on average.
AMN Healthcare has outperformed its industry in the past year. AMN has gained 38% versus the 54.9% industry decline.
Bio-Rad reported fourth-quarter 2021 adjusted EPS of $3.21, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 11.9%. It currently has a Zacks Rank #2.
Bio-Rad has an earnings yield of 2.3% versus the industry’s negative yield. BIO surpassed earnings estimates in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 66.9%.
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McKesson Corporation (MCK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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