The board of directors of Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG) today
increased the quarterly dividend 14.5 percent to 31.5 cents per share
from the previous rate of 27.5 cents per share. The dividend is payable
Sept. 12, 2013, to shareholders of record Aug. 20, 2013. The dividend
increase raises the annual rate from $1.10 per share to $1.26 per share.
Walgreens has paid a dividend in 323 straight quarters (more than 80
years) and has raised its dividend for 38 consecutive years. Over the
last five years, Walgreens annual dividend has increased from 45 cents
per share to $1.26 per share, resulting in a compound annual growth rate
of nearly 23 percent.
About Walgreens
As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72
billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com)
vision is to become America’s first choice for health and daily living.
Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most
convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and
trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and
advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy
services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail
service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health
outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care
organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public
sector. The company operates 8,098 drugstores in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health Systems is a
Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager
of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care
clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
(Please note: Stock exchanges typically set the ex-dividend date two
business days before the shareholder-of-record date. This means if you
purchase stock on the ex-dividend date or after, you will not receive
the next dividend payment. If you purchase before the ex-dividend date,
you will receive the dividend.)
Statements in this release that are not historical are
forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and
involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including those described
in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K
and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, each of which is incorporated herein
by reference, and in other documents that we file or furnish with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or
uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove
incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or
anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except to the
extent required by law, Walgreens does not undertake, and expressly
disclaims, any duty or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking
statement after the distribution of this release, whether as a result of
new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.
Copyright Business Wire 2013