If you picked up a prescription last year, chances are you interacted with at least one of the two sides of CVS Caremark, the drugstore chain cum pharmacy benefits manager (PBM).
The company's retail side operates 7,000 stores, and its PBM handled 660 million prescriptions in 2009. CVS Caremark increased sales and profits last year -- but its growth, while steady, wasn't uniform. Caremark has struggled since the 2007 merger, losing $4.8 billion worth of 2010 contracts last year.
Investors will be watching to see whether the PBM's new president, Per Lofberg, can execute a turnaround -- and whether investigations by the FTC and a multistate task force cause trouble for the health-care giant. --Mina Kimes
