CAMP HILL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) today reported operating results for its second fiscal quarter ended August 29, 2020.

For the second quarter, net loss from continuing operations narrowed $65.5 million to $13.2 million, or $0.25 loss per share. Adjusted net income from continuing operations increased $7.2 million to $13.5 million, or $0.25 earnings per share, and Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations increased $17.4 million to $151.6 million, or 2.5 percent of revenues.

“We are pleased with our second quarter performance as we delivered another quarter of strong results while making solid progress on our bold, new RxEvolution strategy,” said Heyward Donigan, president and chief executive officer, Rite Aid. “Our retail pharmacists and associates have always been deeply committed to our communities, and they are doing a great job protecting our customers during a global pandemic. Thanks to them, Rite Aid continues to gain retail market share and increase both same store prescription count and front-end sales.”

“And at Elixir, our new leadership team is in place, and we are making progress on modernizing and integrating our many assets. We also officially launched our new Elixir brand and are focused on enhancing our curated solutions, products, clinical and digital capabilities. We grew membership in our Medicare Part D business and benefitted from strong expense control, especially as we continue to integrate Rite Aid and Elixir.”

“I am so proud of our 50,000 associates and how they are working together each and every day to deliver operational excellence and help our customers to not just get healthy, but get thriving. Together, we are building a strong foundation for sustainable growth and setting the stage to engage with consumers in ways never before seen in health care. A whole new Rite Aid is coming to life, and I’m excited to continue our journey to become a dominant mid-market PBM, unlock the value of our pharmacists and revitalize our retail and digital experiences.”

Consolidated Second Quarter Summary

(dollars in thousands)	Thirteen Week Period Ended						Twenty-six Week Period Ended
August 29, 2020		August 31, 2019		August 29, 2020		August 31, 2019
Revenues from continuing operations	$	5,981,970	$	5,366,264	$	12,009,346	$	10,738,853
Net loss from continuing operations	(13,197	)	(78,705	)	(85,899	)	(178,044	)
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations	151,603	134,190	258,995	244,537

Revenues from continuing operations for the quarter were $5.98 billion compared to revenues from continuing operations of $5.37 billion in the prior year’s quarter. The increase in revenues was driven by growth at both the Retail Pharmacy and Pharmacy Services segments.Net loss from continuing operations was $13.2 million, or $0.25 per share compared to last year’s second quarter net loss from continuing operations of $78.7 million, or $1.48 per share. The improvement in net loss is due primarily to an increase in Adjusted EBITDA, decreases in income tax and interest expense, a LIFO credit in the current quarter compared to a LIFO charge in the prior year second quarter, and a gain on debt modification in the current quarter. These benefits were partially offset by an increase in lease termination and impairment charges caused by the wind down of our RediClinic business in the current quarter.

Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was $151.6 million or 2.5% of revenues, compared to last year’s second quarter Adjusted EBITDA of $134.2 million or 2.5% of revenues. The improvement in Adjusted EBITDA was driven by increased revenues and a reduction in SG&A expenses.

Retail Pharmacy Segment

(dollars in thousands)	Thirteen Week Period Ended				Twenty-six Week Period Ended
August 29, 2020	August 31, 2019	August 29, 2020	August 31, 2019
Revenues from continuing operations	$	4,017,912	$	3,848,104	$	8,141,183	$	7,712,912
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations	122,340	92,673	185,322	176,681

Retail Pharmacy Segment revenues from continuing operations increased 4.4 percent over the prior year quarter. Same store sales from continuing operations for the second quarter increased 3.5 percent over the prior year period, consisting of a 4.6 percent increase in front-end sales and a 2.3 percent increase in pharmacy sales. Front-end same store sales, excluding cigarettes and tobacco products, increased 6.1 percent, driven by increases across a number of categories. The company increased its front-end market share by 130 basis points in dollars and 150 basis points in unit sales1. The number of prescriptions filled in same stores, adjusted to 30-day equivalents, increased 2.6 percent over the prior year period driven by increases in maintenance prescriptions, supported by personalized Medication Therapy Management interventions and home deliveries, partially offset by a reduction in acute prescriptions of 4.9 percent.Retail Pharmacy Segment Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was $122.3 million or 3.0 percent of revenues for the second quarter compared to last year’s second quarter Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations of $92.7 million or 2.4 percent of revenues. The increase of $29.6 million is due to a reduction in SG&A expenses and increased gross profit. SG&A expenses were favorably impacted by changes to modernize our associate paid time off (PTO) plans along with strong expense control. These savings were partially offset by incremental costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the absence of Transition Services Agreement income in the current quarter, as services under that agreement have been completed. Gross profit benefited from increased revenue, partially offset by continued pharmacy reimbursement rate pressures that were not fully offset by generic drug cost reductions.

1 – Source: IRI. Excludes tobacco, cigarettes, greeting cards and online sales. For drug store channel during Rite Aid’s second fiscal quarter.

Pharmacy Services Segment

(dollars in thousands)	Thirteen Week Period Ended				Twenty-six Week Period Ended
August 29, 2020	August 31, 2019	August 29, 2020	August 31, 2019
Revenues from continuing operations	$	2,038,378	$	1,579,069	$	4,015,624	$	3,145,361
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations	29,263	41,517	73,673	67,856

Pharmacy Services Segment revenues were $2.0 billion, an increase of 29.1 percent compared to the prior year period. The increase in Pharmacy Services Segment revenues was due primarily to a membership increase of 259,000 in Medicare Part D.

Pharmacy Services Segment Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was $29.3 million or 1.4 percent of revenues for the second quarter compared to last year’s second quarter Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations of $41.5 million or 2.6 percent of revenues. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA of $12.3 million was primarily due to a reduction of $21.0 million in gross profit related to a change in rebate aggregator at our MedTrak subsidiary. The company anticipates that the new rebate aggregator contract will drive improved gross profit for the company and savings for its clients. The unfavorable gross profit reduction was partially offset by increased revenues, improved pharmacy network management and strong expense control.

Outlook for Fiscal 2021

Rite Aid Corporation is issuing revised fiscal 2021 guidance. The company’s guidance assumes strong demand for flu immunizations, continued improvement in pharmacy network management at Elixir and savings from our previously announced cost reduction initiatives, offset by continued reimbursement rate pressure and the impact of a less severe cough, cold and flu season on OTC sales and related prescriptions.

Rite Aid Corporation expects revenues to be between $23.5 billion and $24.0 billion in fiscal 2021 with same store sales expected to range from an increase of 3.0 percent to an increase of 4.0 percent over fiscal 2020.

Net loss is expected to be between $190 million and $140 million.

Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $475 million and $525 million.

Adjusted net (loss) income per share is expected to be between $(0.67) and $0.09.

Capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $275 million.

Free cash flow is expected to be between $110 million and $160 million.

About Rite Aid Corporation

Rite Aid Corporation is on the front lines of delivering healthcare services and retail products to more than 1.6 million Americans daily. Our pharmacists are uniquely positioned to engage with customers and improve their health outcomes. We provide an array of whole being health products and services for the entire family through over 2,400 retail pharmacy locations across 18 states. Through Elixir, we provide pharmacy benefits and services to approximately 4 million members nationwide. For more information, www.riteaid.com.