Walgreens Boot Alliance announces purchase of AmerisourceBergen shares

Walgreens Boots Alliance recently announced that it has exercised warrants for the purchase of 22,696,912 common stock shares of AmerisourceBergen Corp. for a total payment of $1.17 billion.

The transaction was completed using existing cash on hand.

With the acquisition of these shares, Walgreens Boots Alliance owns 34,157,955 shares of AmerisourceBergen common stock, which is 14.97 percent of AmerisourceBergen’s outstanding equity. Walgreens also holds warrants that will allow it to purchase 22,696,912 of additional AmerisourceBergen common stock shares; it has the right to exercise these warrants beginning in March of next year.

With the transaction complete, Walgreens Boot Alliance plans on accounting for the investment by using the equity method of accounting, which is subject to a two month lag, with net earnings relating to its investment being classified as operating income within its Pharmaceutical Wholesale section.