Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX) is the largest independent pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) in the United States, helping health benefit providers improve access to (and the affordability of) prescription drugs. As the U.S. election enters its final stages, pharmaceutical manufacturers have shouldered a significant portion of the public’s frustration with the growing lack of affordability in healthcare. In recent weeks, several drug companies have attempted to shift the conversation by pointing fingers at PBMs and other “middlemen” as contributing to (as opposed to minimizing) rising prescription drug costs. Express Scripts and its peers provide a necessary and valuable service to plan sponsors, constructing custom plan designs that balance customer desires for access, cost and flexibility. Providing the absolute lowest cost for each drug utilized is not often the sponsor’s only (or even primary) goal. Additionally, competitive intensity across the industry is high, with no less than two (and in most cases three) potential PBM models to choose from for managing drug costs. We believe Express Scripts keeps a reasonable amount of the savings it generates for clients (we estimate between 10-15%) and that demand for its services will remain high as cost challenges persist. Express Scripts’ shares currently trade at a meaningful discount to our estimate of intrinsic value.
- From Weitz Balanced Fund third quarter 2016 commentary.
