Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,769,056 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock, valued at approximately $19,760,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned about 0.20% of Walgreens Boots Alliance at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth approximately $312,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,661 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 1,830 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 49,896 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 1,186 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 282,798 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $2,639,000 after purchasing an additional 10,772 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 15,417 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,692 shares in the last quarter. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WBA. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walgreens Boots Alliance currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In related news, Chairman Stefano Pessina acquired 832,258 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock in a transaction on Sunday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $11.01 per share, with a total value of $9,163,160.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 145,621,079 shares in the company, valued at $1,603,288,079.79. This trade represents a 0.57% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 17.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of WBA traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $11.54. The company had a trading volume of 4,782,732 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,720,021. The company's 50 day moving average price is $11.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.05. The stock has a market cap of $9.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.58, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.08 and a 52 week high of $13.25.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $38.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.63 EPS. Walgreens Boots Alliance's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

About Walgreens Boots Alliance

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.