Natixis Advisors LLC Buys New Stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, acquiring 21,129 shares valued at approximately $236,000 in the first quarter.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported earnings per share of $0.38 for the last quarter, beating expectations and showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 7.2%.
• The company's stock is currently rated as a hold by analysts, with a consensus target price of $10.59.

Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 21,129 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter worth $368,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 87,428 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $978,000 after acquiring an additional 4,926 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 28.2% in the 1st quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $156,000 after acquiring an additional 3,064 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 1st quarter worth about $1,199,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 42,332 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341 shares during the last quarter. 58.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of WBA opened at $11.87 on Wednesday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.08 and a 1-year high of $13.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.51 and a 200 day moving average of $11.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.63, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walgreens Boots Alliance has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WBA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.