Prudential PLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA

Key Points

• Prudential PLC has reduced its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. by 71.6%, selling 99,338 shares and retaining 39,495 shares, which are now valued at approximately $441,000.
• Several other institutional investors have increased their holdings, including Two Sigma Advisers which grew its stake by 186.3% and National Bank of Canada FI which saw a 1,223.1% increase in the first quarter.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance's stock is currently rated as a "Hold" by Wall Street analysts, with a consensus price target of $10.59.

Prudential PLC lessened its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 71.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,495 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 99,338 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC's holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WBA. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 44,104 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $493,000 after buying an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 28.6% in the 1st quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 4,500 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 6.6% during the first quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 17,682 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 3.0% during the first quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 39,978 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Finally, Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 4.5% in the first quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,837 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares in the last quarter. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WBA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walgreens Boots Alliance has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of WBA stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $12.08. 10,432,595 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,873,965. The company has a market capitalization of $10.46 billion, a PE ratio of -1.66, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.08 and a 12-month high of $13.25. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $11.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.13.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $38.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

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.