Candriam S.C.A. Lowers Holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. has reduced its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 46.8%, selling 51,376 shares and now owning a total of 58,358 shares worth approximately $652,000.
• Several other hedge funds have increased their positions in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the same period, with notable increases from Townsquare Capital LLC and Central Pacific Bank Trust Division.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance recently reported earnings of $0.38 per share for the quarter, exceeding analyst estimates, with a revenue of $38.99 billion, up 7.2% from the previous year.

Candriam S.C.A. decreased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 46.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 58,358 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 51,376 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter valued at about $198,000. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter valued at about $368,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,823,924 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $17,016,000 after purchasing an additional 272,895 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 189,908 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $1,772,000 after buying an additional 3,610 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,040,785 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $9,712,000 after buying an additional 21,533 shares during the period. 58.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WBA. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen started coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. One research analyst has 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, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $10.15.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

WBA remained flat at $11.98 during trading on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $10.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's fifty day moving average is $11.69 and its 200-day moving average is $11.26. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.08 and a twelve month high of $13.25.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $38.99 billion for 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current fiscal 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.