Financial News

HAWTHORNE, N.Y. — Taro Pharmaceutical Industries plans to repurchase up to $200 million of its own shares, the Israeli generic drug maker said.

Taro announced a tender offer to repurchase the shares for between $84.50 and $97.50 each, with the total amount representing 4.6% to 5.3% of its outstanding shares.

The offer expires on Dec. 23, the company said.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Sears Holdings is spinning off its clothing business, the parent company of Kmart said Friday.

Sears said it had filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to spin off Lands' End. The company hopes that separating the management of Sears Holdings and Lands' end will make it easier for the latter to pursue opportunities on its own.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway on Friday announced that its board of directors met yesterday and declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share. 

The cash dividend will be payable on Jan. 9 to stockholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 19.

Safeway operates 1,406 stores in the United States and had annual sales of $37.5 billion in 2012.

PITTSBURGH — Mylan has completed its acquisition of the injectables business of Strides Arcolab, a deal worth nearly $2 billion, the drug maker said.

Mylan said the acquisition of Agila could cost up to $1.75 billion, including a $250 million contingent consideration. As part of the acquisition, Mylan will gain full commercialization rights for most of Agila's U.S. portfolio of experimental and marketed products, including cancer drugs, as well as significant product rights in Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan and South Korea.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fred's Super Dollar on Wednesday reported a 1% increase in total sales, to $151.5 million, for the four weeks ended Nov. 30. Comparable-store sales for the month were flat versus a decline of 3.6% in the same period last year.

"The environment was as competitive as expected, and the later Thanksgiving holiday had a negative impact on sales," noted Bruce Efird, Fred's CEO. "As anticipated, our pharmacy department continued to perform well during the month," he said.  

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid's same-store sales increased by 2.8% in November, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

The increase included a 0.4% increase in front-end same-store sales and a 3.9% increase in pharmacy same-store sales, offset by 0.81% due to new generic drugs, which can reduce sales because of their lower price, but are good for a pharmacy retailer's margins. Same-store scripts increased by 0.1%.

Total sales for November were $2.434 billion, a 1.6% increase compared with the same period last year.

CINCINNATI — Kroger on Thursday reported that same-store supermarket sales growth, without fuel, was 3.5% in the third quarter, marking the 40th consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth. It's a feat that Kroger achieved despite the slow economic recovery. "The resiliency of our Customer First strategy … was on full display during the quarter, even as our internal research shows that customers remain uncertain about the economy," Dave Dillon, Kroger chairman and CEO, told analysts Thursday morning. 

SAN FRANCISCO — McKesson on Thursday announced that the company has launched the voluntary public takeover offer for the outstanding shares of Celesio through its indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary Dragonfly in connection with the announcement on Oct. 24 of McKesson’s agreement to acquire Celesio.