Alberta Investment Management Corp Purchases 50,000 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Key Points

• Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 3.2%, acquiring an additional 50,000 shares to bring their total ownership to approximately 1.6 million shares valued at about $17.95 million.
• Institutional investors currently hold 58.59% of the company's stock, with several others recently making significant position changes in Walgreens Boots Alliance.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported earnings of $0.38 per share, exceeding analyst expectations and revenue of $38.99 billion, indicating a 7.2% year-over-year revenue increase.

Alberta Investment Management Corp grew its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,607,100 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp owned about 0.19% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $17,951,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WBA. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 79.5% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,928 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,297 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 135.8% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,152 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.59% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on WBA. Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:WBA opened at $11.64 on Friday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.08 and a 12-month high of $13.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.78. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.13.

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

Walgreens Boots Alliance 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WBA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.