Results Center

Net revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2018, increased 2.4%, or $1.1 billion, to approximately $47.3 billion, up from $46.2 billion in the three months ended September 30, 2017.

Revenues in the Pharmacy Services Segment increased 2.6% to approximately $33.8 billion in the three months ended September 30, 2018. This increase was primarily driven by growth in pharmacy network and mail choice claim volume as well as brand inflation, partially offset by continued price compression. Pharmacy network claims processed during the three months ended September 30, 2018 increased 5.4%, on a 30-day equivalent basis, to 394.5 million, compared to 374.2 million in the same quarter of the prior year. The increase in pharmacy network claim volume was primarily due to an increase in net new business. On a 30-day equivalent basis, mail choice claims processed during the three months ended September 30, 2018 increased 7.4% to 71.8 million, compared to 66.9 million in the same quarter of the prior year. The increase in mail choice claim volume was primarily driven by the continued adoption of our Maintenance Choice® offerings and an increase in specialty pharmacy claims.

Revenues in the Retail/LTC Segment increased 6.4% to approximately $20.9 billion in the three months ended September 30, 2018. The increase was primarily due to an increase in same store prescription volume of 9.2%, on a 30-day equivalent basis, due to continued adoption of our Patient Care Programs, alliances with PBMs and health plans, our inclusion in a number of additional Medicare Part D networks this year, and brand inflation. This increase was partially offset by continued reimbursement pressure.

Same store sales increased 6.7% and pharmacy same store sales increased 8.7% in the three months ended September 30, 2018. The increase in pharmacy same store sales was principally driven by the increase in pharmacy same store prescription volumes described above, partially offset by continued reimbursement pressure and a negative impact of approximately 190 basis points due to recent generic introductions.

Front store same store sales increased 0.8% in the three months ended September 30, 2018, compared to the same quarter of the prior year. The increase in front store same store sales continued to benefit from strength in our consumer health care and beauty care categories.

For the three months ended September 30, 2018, the generic dispensing rate increased approximately 20 basis points to 87.2% in our Pharmacy Services Segment and increased approximately 10 basis points to 87.3% in our Retail/LTC Segment, compared to the same quarter in the prior year.

Consolidated operating profit for the three months ended September 30, 2018 decreased $146 million, or 5.8%, to $2.4 billion. The decrease in operating profit was driven by a $64 million increase in acquisition-related transaction and integration costs, an increase in operating expenses due to the investment of savings from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) in wages and benefits, as well as an increase in operating expenses associated with growth in the business. These increases were partially offset by improvements in gross profit dollars in both segments. The improvement in gross profit dollars in our Pharmacy Services Segment was primarily due to increased claims volume and improved purchasing economics, partially offset by continued pricing compression. The improvement in the Retail/LTC Segment gross profit dollars was primarily driven by increased volume, improved purchasing economics, partially offset by continued reimbursement pressure.

Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2018 increased $105 million, or 8.2%, to $1.4 billion. The increase is primarily due to the $268 million decline in the income tax provision partially offset by the decline in pre-tax income of $163 million. Our effective income tax rate was 26.8% for the three months ended September 30, 2018, compared to 37.7% for the three months ended September 30, 2017. The difference in the effective income tax rate was primarily due to the enactment of the TCJA in December 2017, which lowered the 2018 federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%.

The decrease in pre-tax income of $163 million was due to the $146 million decrease in operating profit discussed above and the $208 million increase in interest expense primarily due to the net interest expense on the 2018 financing associated with the proposed acquisition of Aetna Inc. ("Aetna"). The impact of these decreases in pre-tax income were mitigated by the absence in the current year of $187 million in losses on settlements of defined benefit pension plans incurred in the prior year that are included in other expense.

GAAP earnings per diluted share from continuing operations (“GAAP EPS”) for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, was $1.36 and $1.26, respectively. Adjusted earnings per share (“Adjusted EPS”) for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 was $1.73 and $1.50, respectively. Further detail is shown in the Adjusted EPS reconciliation later in this release.

The Company continues to expect full year GAAP consolidated operating profit to decline 39% to 41%, reflecting the goodwill impairment in Q2, and the adjusted consolidated operating profit change for the full year to be down 0.75% to up 0.75%. The Company continues to expect to deliver GAAP diluted EPS of $1.40 to $1.50 and Adjusted EPS of $6.98 to $7.08.

In addition, the Company expects cash flow from operations of approximately $9.0 billion and free cash flow of approximately $7.0 billion.

The regulatory approval process for the previously announced acquisition of Aetna by CVS Health is proceeding within a timeframe consistent with expectations. On October 10, 2018, the Company and Aetna entered into a consent decree with the United States Department of Justice ("DOJ") that allows the Company’s proposed acquisition of Aetna to proceed, provided Aetna agreed to sell its individual standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. As part of the agreement reached with the DOJ, Aetna entered into an asset purchase agreement with a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. for the divestiture of Aetna’s standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, which have an aggregate of approximately 2.2 million members. Closing of the divestiture is subject to the closing of the Company’s proposed acquisition of Aetna. There are no remaining antitrust impediments to closing the proposed acquisition of Aetna.

All of the required change in control filings were submitted to 28 state insurance departments in January 2018. To date, the Company has received approval from 23 of the 28 states and we are well down the line with the remaining five. The transaction is expected to close prior to Thanksgiving.