Eisler Capital Management Ltd. Trims Stock Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA

Key Points

• Eisler Capital Management Ltd. has reduced its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 31.9%, now holding 325,000 shares valued at approximately $3.63 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Charles Schwab and Northern Trust, have increased their holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the same period.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.38 for the recent quarter, exceeding analysts’ estimates, with revenue up 7.2% year-over-year.

Eisler Capital Management Ltd. lowered its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 31.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 325,000 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 152,167 shares during the quarter. Eisler Capital Management Ltd.'s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $3,630,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Curat Global LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 79.5% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,928 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,297 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 135.8% during the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,152 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,815 shares during the period. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.59% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WBA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walgreens Boots Alliance has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $10.15.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

NASDAQ:WBA remained flat at $11.98 during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.28. The firm has a market capitalization 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.08 and a 12 month high of $13.25. 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 (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 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 firm's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.