Walgreen matches 4Q profit expectations, tops revenue forecasts

Walgreen Co. (WAG) on Tuesday reported a loss of $239 million in its fiscal fourth quarter.

On a per-share basis, the Deerfield, Illinois-based company said it had a loss of 25 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs and amortization costs, came to 74 cents per share.

The results met Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was also for earnings of 74 cents per share.

The drugstore chain posted revenue of $19.06 billion in the period, exceeding Street forecasts. Analysts expected $19.02 billion, according to Zacks.

Walgreen shares have increased nearly 4 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has climbed 7 percent. The stock has climbed slightly more than 9 percent in the last 12 months.

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This story was generated automatically by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Full WAG report: http://www.zacks.com/ap/WAG

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