Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Trims Stock Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. reduced its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 8.6%, bringing its holdings to 219,652 shares valued at approximately $2,454,000.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported better-than-expected earnings of $0.38 per share, surpassing analyst estimates and achieving quarterly revenue of $38.99 billion, up 7.2% year-over-year.
• Institutional investors currently own 58.59% of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock, with varying ratings from analysts, including "neutral," "hold," and "underweight."

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lessened its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 219,652 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 20,782 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $2,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 10.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,580,827 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $162,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,425,689 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,896,742 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $83,007,000 after purchasing an additional 1,407,973 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 7,972,514 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $74,384,000 after purchasing an additional 378,039 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 186.3% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 7,740,100 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $72,215,000 after purchasing an additional 5,036,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 23.5% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,567,154 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $84,525,000 after purchasing an additional 1,441,780 shares during the period. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of WBA opened at $12.19 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $11.62 and its 200 day moving average is $11.16. 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 12-month low of $8.08 and a 12-month high of $13.25. The company has a market capitalization of $10.55 billion, a PE ratio of -1.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.80.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.04. The company 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%. Walgreens Boots Alliance's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.63 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WBA has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walgreens Boots Alliance presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $10.59.

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.

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