Gabelli Funds LLC Has $4.94 Million Holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC significantly increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, acquiring an additional 282,850 shares during the first quarter, raising its total holdings to 442,050 shares valued at approximately $4.94 million.
• Several institutional investors showed strong interest in Walgreens Boots Alliance, with Two Sigma Advisers LP increasing its stake by 186.3% during the previous quarter, now owning 7,740,100 shares.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance recently reported quarterly earnings of $0.38 EPS, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenues reaching $38.99 billion, which is a 7.2% increase from the previous year.

Gabelli Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 177.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 442,050 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after acquiring an additional 282,850 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC owned about 0.05% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $4,938,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its position 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,297 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter valued at about $43,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WBA. Wall Street Zen started coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" 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 assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $10.15.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

WBA stock remained flat at $11.98 during trading on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.27. 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 capitalization of $10.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.64, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.80. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.08 and a 1-year high of $13.25.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $38.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.72 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 17.66% and a negative net margin of 4.07%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.63 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current 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.