Financial News

LAKELAND, Fla. — Publix on Tuesday announced its board of directors declared a semi-annual cash dividend of 35 cents per share on its common stock.

The dividend will be payable Dec. 2, 2013, either through direct deposit or mailed as a check to stockholders of record as of the close of business Oct. 31, 2013, the grocer stated.

SAN FRANCISCO — McKesson on Monday announced James Beer will join the company as EVP and CFO on Oct. 9. Beer will be responsible for overseeing all financial functions for McKesson and replaces Jeff Campbell, who left the company in June 2013 to become CFO of American Express Co. Beer will also join McKesson’s executive committee. 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens posted a sales gain of 0.8% for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, reaching a record $72.2 billion and filling a record 821 million prescriptions. That volume of prescriptions filled helped Walgreens boost its retail pharmacy market share for the fiscal year to 19.1%. 

Early morning trading boosted Walgreens' share price from a close of $53.80 on Monday to $56.06, an increase of 4.2%.

DUBLIN — Ireland's High Court has approved Actavis' acquisition of Warner Chilcott, the drug makers said.

The companies said the approval of Irish authorities meant that they had obtained all regulatory approvals required to complete the transaction, and that it now remained subject to satisfaction of other customary closing conditions and would occur as soon as practicable.

Actavis and Warner Chilcott announced the $8.5 billion merger deal in May. The companies' shareholders voted to approve it on Sept. 10.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — H. D. Smith on Monday announced full ownership acquisition of Triplefin, a reimbursement, patient assistance and pharmaceutical brand-support services company headquartered in Cincinnati. H. D. Smith secured majority representation on Triplefin's board of directors in January 2013 and majority stock ownership interest in May 2013. 

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Amneal Pharmaceuticals has bought rights to four generic drugs from Actavis, Amneal said Monday.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Southeastern Grocers, parent company of Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie supermarkets, on Thursday announced that it has filed a registration statement on a proposed initial public offering.  

The shares are expected to be offered by Southeastern Grocers, and the number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined.

GHENT, Belgium — Belgian drug maker Ablynx is licensing an experimental treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus to U.S. drug maker AbbVie in a deal worth up to $840 million, the companies said.

The two drug makers announced that AbbVie would license the drug ALX-0061 for an upfront payment of $175 million plus milestone payments worth up to $665 million, as well as royalties. The drug belongs to a class known as anti-interleukin-6R nanobodies, which work by targeting an immune-system protein pathway that plays a key role in the inflammation associated with RA.