Vanguard Group Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,140,103 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 3,535,095 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.64% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $2,170,788,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highlander Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1,241.8% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock opened at $16.11 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $16.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.66. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.62 and a twelve month high of $32.89.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.38. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 4.18% and a positive return on equity of 12.11%. The firm had revenue of $37.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.16 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.21%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 20th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s payout ratio is currently -14.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $54,150. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, CFO Manmohan Mahajan acquired 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $19.38 per share, with a total value of $116,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 166,969 shares in the company, valued at $3,235,859.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,150. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 17.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on WBA. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Raymond James reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. HSBC reissued a “reduce” rating and set a $20.00 price target (down from $27.00) on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.57.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Company Profile

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc operates as a healthcare, pharmacy, and retail company in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Retail Pharmacy, International, and U.S. Healthcare. The U.S. Retail Pharmacy segment engages in operation of the retail drugstores, health and wellness services, specialty, and home delivery pharmacy services, which offers health and wellness, beauty, personal care and consumables, and general merchandise.