But the second quarter got off to a slow start. Status-symbol Aeron chair proves a point and gets . . . Profits rose 15.9 percent in the period that ended March 31. Sales advanced 13.6 percent.
Upside surprises are great and downside surprises are treated with much suspicion.
Analysts congratulated CVS for its first quarter. Those numbers were propelled by pharmaceutical sales. CVS has been expanding its pharmacies to meet the demands of an aging population. We continue to take market share from independents, regional chains and the food-drug sector. While prescriptions soared, same-store sales at the front of the store rose only about 1 percent, primarily because of stormy weather and weakness in some product categories, such as vitamins.