The top three drugstores are having a meltdown.

This Sunday, Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

And since the start of 2023, CVS shares dropped 16%. Walgreens fell 53%. And Rite Aid decreased by a massive 98%.

Between all three, they have a combined total of 20,000 locations.

For now…

Many of these stores will soon be closing due to industry-wide pressures.

Today I’ll walk through what those pressures are, each company’s particular issues, and point out which one of these drugstores is unfairly discounted… with every sign of bouncing back once Mr. Market returns to his senses.

Drugstores’ Long List of Problems

There are several pressures facing CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid that are industry-wide.

First, e-commerce companies like Amazon have been buying into the business, offering online choices that compete with traditional drugstores.

Next up, ever-expanding dollar stores also tend to stock the same basic items as drugstores… for less.

And on top of all that, drugstores face billions in fines after losing the opioid death lawsuits levied against them.

For those who haven’t been following these lawsuits filed in multiple states, they claim that drug manufacturers caused the opioid crisis through reckless marketing and understating risks… And that major pharmacies didn’t do enough to curb their illegal distribution.

CVS agreed to pay $5 billion over 10 years in a settlement while Walgreens agreed to pay $5.7 billion over the course of 15 years.

Rite Aid is only the latest and most well-known drugstore to file bankruptcy due to the opioid lawsuits.

These fines are a lot of weight for any company to bear… especially one with too much debt and a clear lack of diversification.

A Hard Look at Rite Aid and Walgreens

So let’s start with the worst drugstore chain out of the top three, which is undoubtedly Rite Aid. The once-stable company has a rotten diagnosis that it’s trying to fix through bankruptcy.

Reuters writes that, according to bankruptcy court filings, “Rite Aid has $4 billion in debt, $8.6 billion in liabilities, and $7.65 billion in assets.” It’s currently courting buyers for parts of its business, with at least one suitor expressing interest.

Even so, Rite Aid isn’t doing well.

And frankly, I want to stay far away from it, even at a “bargain” price.

Walgreens is in far better shape, though that’s not saying much.

It might not have filed for bankruptcy, but its CEO of less than three years, Rosalind Brewer, is stepping down.

Apparently, she doesn’t feel like she can guide Walgreens through the industry’s issues.

And this doesn’t bode well for its dividend.

The company has increased its payout every year for 47 years now.

But as I frequently say, the past is no guarantee of the future.

The stock now yields nearly 9%, with a series of debt maturities due next year looming over it.

That could be the catalyst for a dividend cut.

And at Intelligent Income Daily, we avoid that kind of capital-killing event at all costs. Our goal is to steer you toward safe, income-generating opportunities… not into something that will lose us money.

CVS Has Much More to Offer Investors Today

Here’s why CVS has a much better shot at recovering from its bout of the share-price blues…

For starters, the company is enormous and very well-placed.

A whopping 85% of the U.S. population lives no more than 10 miles from a CVS drugstore.

This gives it a great opportunity to further diversify into areas like healthcare services.

I say “further,” because it already closed on an $8 billion buyout of Signify Health earlier this year.

Signify is a healthcare platform that combines technology, analytics, and payments. Its network consists of 10,000+ clinicians in every U.S. state – all of who now work for CVS. And that’s on top of the insurance options CVS now offers.

Better yet, the chain already has strong annual free-cash generation of $18 billion.

This gives it plenty of room to continue paying its dividend – with its 3.5% yield – while still deleveraging from this year’s big purchase.

It’s even been repurchasing shares, with a total of $14.5 billion authorized and $2 billion already bought back in Q2.

Clearly, CVS isn’t worried about its future, industry headwinds and all. And neither am I.

That’s why at a price around $71, I think CVS is a bargain.

And with its competitors wiped out and left struggling, I believe we are going to see a major comeback from this particular drugstore chain.

So if you want to capitalize on the drugstore meltdown… Now is your chance when shares are down.

And if you’re looking for even more bargain opportunities, check out our Intelligent Income Investor service…

While Amazon may be one of the factors cutting into the drugstore industry’s profits, we have one play that’s cutting into Amazon’s massive profits.

I call it the “Amazon Royalty” play. You can check it out here.

Happy SWAN (sleep well at night) investing,

Brad Thomas
Editor, Intelligent Income Daily