Express Scripts Inc posted better-than-expected third-quarter earnings on Tuesday as the U.S. pharmacy benefit manager reported increased use of more profitable generic drugs.The company also said it expected strong client retention in 2012 despite a contract dispute with Walgreen Co that threatens to leave the drugstore chain out of Express' pharmacy network."That should really help alleviate some of the investor concerns ... that they can potentially lose customers over not having Walgreen in the network," Morningstar analyst Matthew Coffina said.Express Scripts shares have declined nearly 29 percent this year, hurt in part by fears over the potential damage from the Walgreen dispute. The shares rose 3.2 percent to $39.70 in after-hours trading on Tuesday.
Express Scripts, Inc. is a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) operating in North America, offering a range of services to its clients, which include health maintenance organizations (HMOs), health insurers, third-party administrators, employers, union-sponsored benefit plans, workers? compensation plans and Government health programs. Shares of ESRX fell by 4.89% or $-1.98/share to $38.47. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $35.69 and as high as $60.89. On average, 9715740 shares of ESRX exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 10063237.
Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. is a bank in Brazil. The Company has four operational segments: Commercial Banking, Itau BBA, Consumer Credit and Corporate and Treasury. Shares of ITUB fell by 3.81% or $-0.72/share to $18.19. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $14.47 and as high as $26.30. On average, 19460800 shares of ITUB exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 18337948.
Walgreen Co. (Walgreen) together with its subsidiaries, operates a drugstore chain in the United States. Shares of WAG fell by 1.43% or $-0.49/share to $33.82. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $32.00 and as high as $47.11. On average, 8504110 shares of WAG exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 4149434.
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