Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Boosts Holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA

Key Points

• The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2,956.3%, acquiring a total of 657,100 shares worth approximately $7.34 million.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported a quarterly revenue of $38.99 billion, exceeding analysts' expectations, and posted earnings of $0.38 per share, above the consensus estimate of $0.34.
• Analysts have a mixed outlook on Walgreens Boots Alliance, with one Buy rating, six Holds, and four Sells, resulting in an average price target of $10.15.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 2,956.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 657,100 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after buying an additional 635,600 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.08% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $7,340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 79.5% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,928 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,297 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 135.8% in the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,152 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WBA remained flat at $11.98 during trading on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $11.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.31. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.08 and a 52-week high of $13.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.37 billion, a PE ratio of -1.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.80.

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 for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $38.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.63 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WBA. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen started coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $10.15.

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.