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4Q Profit, Outlook Drive CVS Shares
Shares of CVS Caremark Corp. jumped Thursday after the nation's largest pharmacy chain said its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled.

Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS Corp. bought Caremark Rx last March for $26.5 billion. Wall Street is keeping a watch on the combined company's financial performance, with analysts considering it a test model for future combinations. The mix of a retail pharmacy with a pharmacy benefit manager has not been duplicated, though retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (nyse: WMT - news - people ) have expressed interest in moving into the sector.

"In the fourth quarter, core CVS performed decently while Caremark did exceptionally well," said Goldman Sachs (nyse: GS - news - people ) analyst John Heinbockel, in a note to investors, specifically citing sales and profit gains for Caremark.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/01/31/ap4601381.html