Sentiment Analysis of the earnings transcript to help figure out if there are any bullish or bearish sentiments that could be gathered from it. We're doing ML and AI based analysis on the earnings call to get some more insights.
Please consider a small donation if you think this website provides you with relevant information
| Statement |
|---|
| And I'm very, very encouraged by the fact that the PBMs are very realistic about how do we sit down and change the conversation |
| And one of the things that's been -- I don't want to call it a pleasant surprise, but has been just reassuring has been the amount of goodwill that this company has both from the employees inside the company, the belief in what we do, and those who have stayed with the company a long time, we've got Rick Gates here, who's been with the company over 20 years, for example, who is driving our pharmacy results, which have been very good, as you would have heard in the first quarter, where we actually gained share |
| I was actually more meaning like I think Boots has had great success in gaining share in this market, particularly in the U.K., where they're obviously in a recession as well |
| The one thing I do point out is if you look at the comps we have in the second half of this year versus second half last year, it's going to be better than the first half |
| We're also optimizing our capital project spend in the year and $600 million reduction there and at the same time, improving our working capital year-on-year |
| We continue to see good progress in our U.S |
| It probably took a solid three for them to meaningfully be delivering consistent performance |
| We, thankfully, were able to deliver earnings as pretty much folks would have expected |
| But in terms of timelines, I think Boots is a great example, the business has done pretty well over the last few years |
| We've got some very good assets |
| And the adjusted EBITDA growth within overall healthcare segment, obviously, is a growth story for us as well |
| So, as we look at building a plan for 2025 and beyond, that is not only believable, but executable, I think we've actually got a really, really good starting point in a number of places |
| Because we love working with health systems and Shields is a terrific asset, and I love the fact that we've got it |
| And I think that, therefore, to the extent that the market wants to pull these models forward, that's going to be good for us to pay us for the services that we provide |
| This is not a quick story, but I believe it will be a highly sustained story because the other thing that's very clear to me in every conversation I have is that a large-scale community-based engagement-driven, trusted brand has a meaningful role to play in healthcare over the next 20 or 30 years |
| If she wants to drive through the drive-thru today, she wants to order online and pick up in store next week and she wants to order online and have delivered to her home, and she wants to come in the store and have a good experience |
| And yet -- and I was indicated that I should have, right? And so the fact that we've got that kind of trust with tens of millions of Americans and engagement points and engagement experiences, even if it's in front of the store buying a bag of Doritos, like I said, we have a chance to turn that into a value-creating opportunity for others that are taking risk, that are collecting premiums and that will pay us a fair fee to deliver it |
| We got to be able to deliver on all four of those really, really well from a technology supported perspective, and we aren't there all the way yet |
| The first one, obviously, is [Indiscernible] and that has come in really strong |
| healthcare segment on road to adjusted EBITDA positive by end of this year |
| I think you have to believe that as I do and as our team does, including, again, four new people from the outside who all left really good jobs, all who have very large and appropriate reputations, see that opportunity |
| We do see us gaining more than our fair share on that given how we drove that in this year |
| And again, those new folks joining us and bringing a sense of energy and belief in what we can do with this amazing platform in healthcare |
| Now, what we feel good about in terms of tailwinds or some of the things we talked about a couple of months ago in January, and so pharmacy services, we've been talking about that here |
| We're able to recruit diverse patient panels 4 times faster than farmer can do it themselves, speed matters when you're doing trials |
| You've seen us do some of that work as it relates to the balance sheet, whether it's the dividend, selling Cencora shares outright because we know investors prefer the clarity that, that provides as well as meaningful capital reductions and expense reductions that we are well on path to deliver |
| Shields continues to grow |
| We have a trusted brand, we have a trusted name, and we have pharmacists that can direct patients to certain over-the-counter solutions |
| Point being, these sorts of things, while any one of them may not look like its 10% of our underlying earnings, is highly capital efficient and two or three of those added together suddenly starts becoming a meaningful part of our growth story |
| We see continued growth in that |
| Statement |
|---|
| And our operating assumption, just to be super clear about one element of it, is that the consumer is challenged and will remain challenged |
| We also have the shrinkage problem and some of our urban locations are very, very challenged right now, and it shows |
| And so from that standpoint, that's going to be an ongoing challenge for us |
| Charles Rhyee If we talk about this increase in services, right, we've seen operating margins in the retail segment have been declining year-on-year for a while |
| And so you look at that, that was a five-year -- five years ago, they were trouble |
| And so there's going to be a level of headwind as we get into next year |
| And so it is unsustainable |
| That pressure has been forever |
| But do I think that the -- what we've seen over the last several years is as a percentage of AWP, the reimbursement gives for new contracts have meaningfully declined |
| I think to believe in this thesis, it's not sufficient to just see us as a retail pharmacy that has a good front end |
| And I think we see now the fact that the underlying dynamics that created the meaningful pressure at the back of the store are changing |
| All of that wasn't a surprise |
| I'm one of the guys that put a lot of that pressure around over the years, as Rick reminds me all the time |
| You'll see that as kind of a headwind into 2025 |
| Our assumption is we're going to have to earn that consumer back |
| And so whether it's CVS' announcement or other signals that you would see, I have reason to believe that the reimbursement pressures at the back of the store, which have positioned us to really -- we still make money back there, but it gets harder and harder |
| Now, in terms of look forward to 2025 and headwinds and tailwinds, let me -- a couple of headwinds as I can point out |
| But just maybe to help level set folks, as we think about maybe headwinds and tailwinds we should think about for 2025, I know it's a little early, but there are some big moving pieces that people should remember |
| Well, if retail is the core, you mentioned is a tough environment, how are you thinking about to improve that and to fix that, right? I know I would love to touch on your thoughts on, obviously, a shift to cost-plus model |
| And what I would tell you is those businesses that didn't exist for us three years ago are natural for us |
Please consider a small donation if you think this website provides you with relevant information