A Walgreens representative declined to comment. The stock jumped 7.2% to $18.43 at 10:38 a.m. in New York after Bloomberg News reported that the company was contacting possible buyers.
The company last year revived discussions on a potential exit from the UK chain, almost 18 months after scrapping a planned sale, Bloomberg reported in December. Boots could be valued at about £7 billion in an exit, with one possibility being an initial public offering in London, Bloomberg reported at the time.
Walgreens shares have plunged 42% in the past year as the company struggled to restore growth. This year Walgreens cut its dividend by half and lowered its profit outlook, citing reduced consumer spending on non-essential items.
A sale would undo a blockbuster trans-Atlantic merger that took place in stages beginning more than a decade ago.
(Updates to add stock move in third paragraph.)
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