--> No premarket yet 67.35 bid vs 66.81 @ yest close
Co at Analyst Day in NYC issued in-line guidance for FY14 (Dec), sees EPS of $4.36-4.50, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $4.46 Capital IQ Consensus, assuming completion of $4 billion in share repurchases during 2014; the interest associated with the company's recent $2 billion, non-deal- related debt issuance, which is expected to decrease annual EPS by approximately three cents; the second-half launch of the recently-announced generic sourcing venture with Cardinal Health, which is expected to increase annual EPS by two cents in 2014; and the impact of the pending acquisition of Coram's infusion business.
The co also announced that its board of directors has approved an increase in its quarterly dividend of ~22%, to $0.275 per share on the common stock of the co, payable February 3, 2014, to holders of record on January 23, 2014.
In addition, the co announced that its Board of Directors has approved a new share repurchase program for up to $6.0 billion of the co's outstanding common stock.