ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Buys Shares of 134,310 Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased 134,310 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. for approximately $1.5 million during the first quarter, increasing institutional ownership to 58.59%.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported $0.38 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and showing a 7.2% revenue increase year-over-year.
• Equities analysts have given Walgreens Boots Alliance an average rating of "Hold" with a consensus target price of $10.59, while some analysts issued ratings of sell and buy on the stock.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 134,310 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,500,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 186.3% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 7,740,100 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $72,215,000 after purchasing an additional 5,036,300 shares in the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,457,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 32,572,567 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $303,902,000 after acquiring an additional 2,631,332 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 101.2% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 4,595,507 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $42,876,000 after acquiring an additional 2,311,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter worth about $19,760,000. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WBA traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $11.94. The stock had a trading volume of 7,572,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,993,019. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.08 and a 1 year high of $13.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.10. The company has a market capitalization of $10.33 billion, a PE ratio of -1.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.80.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.04. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 4.07% and a positive return on equity of 17.66%. The company had revenue of $38.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.59.

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.