Cetera Investment Advisers Sells 162,023 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Cetera Investment Advisers decreased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 51.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 155,640 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 162,023 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $1,452,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $141,000. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $326,000. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 128.5% during the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,228 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 13,061 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 73,349 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $684,000 after purchasing an additional 3,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 175,236 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 25,582 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.59% of the company's stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:WBA traded up $0.04 on Tuesday, reaching $11.21. The stock had a trading volume of 10,568,635 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,914,508. The stock has a market cap of $9.69 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.03 and a 200 day moving average of $10.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.08 and a 12-month high of $16.34.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 8th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $38.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.90 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 5.87% and a positive return on equity of 17.61%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.20 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Stefano Pessina purchased 832,258 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock in a transaction dated Sunday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $11.01 per share, for a total transaction of $9,163,160.58. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chairman now directly owns 145,621,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,603,288,079.79. This represents a 0.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 17.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $11.00 to $9.00 in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.59.

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.