Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Purchases 635,600 Shares of 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 lifted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 2,956.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 657,100 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after acquiring 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 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WBA. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 44,104 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $493,000 after buying an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 28.6% during the 1st quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 4,500 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 17,682 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 39,978 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Finally, Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,837 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.59% of the company's stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Walgreens Boots Alliance stock remained flat at $11.98 during mid-day trading on Monday. 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 1-year low of $8.08 and a 1-year high of $13.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $11.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.32. The company has a market cap of $10.37 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $38.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WBA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walgreens Boots Alliance has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $10.15.

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.