Walgreens expands stake in AmerisourceBergen

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., Deerfield, Ill., said it exercised warrants to purchase 22,696,912 shares of AmerisourceBergen Corp. common stock for an aggregate payment of approximately $1.17 billion. The transaction was funded using existing cash on hand.

Walgreens said it now owns 34,157,955 shares of AmerisourceBergen common stock, or 14.97 percent of AmerisourceBergen’s outstanding equity (based on shares outstanding as of Jan. 31, 2016, adjusted to give effect to the exercise of these warrants). Walgreens also continues to hold warrants to purchase an additional 22,696,912 shares of AmerisourceBergen common stock, with the right to exercise beginning in March 2017. AmerisourceBergen, Chesterbrook, Pa., is a pharmaceutical wholesaler that supplies drugstores, specialty pharmaceutical businesses and more.