Airain ltd cut its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 67.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,521 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 154,103 shares during the period. Airain ltd’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $6,189,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hudock Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 0.4% in the first quarter. Hudock Capital Group LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Tarbox Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 288.3% in the first quarter. Tarbox Group Inc. now owns 1,355 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 1,006 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 209.2% in the first quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 1,441 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 975 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. raised its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 18.4% in the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 1,509 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Finally, Orrstown Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 13.9% in the first quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,515 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. 61.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) opened at 81.28 on Thursday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.18 and a 12 month high of $89.69. The firm has a market cap of $86.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $78.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.37.
Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 29th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $30.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $29.72 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a return on equity of 17.34% and a net margin of 3.69%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post $5.01 earnings per share for the current year.
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 16th. This is a positive change from Walgreens Boots Alliance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio is 37.78%.
Walgreens Boots Alliance declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, June 29th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the pharmacy operator to purchase up to 5.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
WBA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Monday, July 3rd. Citigroup Inc. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Monday, July 3rd. BidaskClub upgraded Walgreens Boots Alliance from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Monday, July 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Group LLC dropped their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Walgreens Boots Alliance has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.69.
In related news, Director William C. Foote sold 2,736 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.79, for a total transaction of $218,305.44. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 19,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,528,058.29. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 13.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
About Walgreens Boots Alliance
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc (Walgreens Boots Alliance) is a holding company. The Company is a global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise. Walgreens Boots Alliance operates through three divisions, including Retail Pharmacy USA, Retail Pharmacy International and Pharmaceutical Wholesale. The Company’s products are marketed under a number of brands, which include No7, the Botanics range, Almus (generic medicines), Boots Pharmaceuticals and Soap & Glory (bathing and beauty brand).
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