Sather Financial Group Inc Acquires New Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Key Points

• Sather Financial Group Inc. has invested approximately $1.98 million in Walgreens Boots Alliance, acquiring 177,000 shares in the company during the first quarter.
• Chairman Stefano Pessina recently purchased 832,258 shares at an average price of $11.01, increasing his ownership stake in the company to 145.6 million shares.
• The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" among analysts, with a price target of $10.59 reflecting mixed sentiments regarding its future performance.

Sather Financial Group Inc purchased a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 177,000 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,977,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 86,335,084 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $805,506,000 after purchasing an additional 2,279,495 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 32,572,567 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $303,902,000 after purchasing an additional 2,631,332 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,779,254 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $194,082,000 after buying an additional 1,020,587 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,896,742 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $83,007,000 after buying an additional 1,407,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 7,972,514 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $74,384,000 after buying an additional 378,039 shares in the last quarter. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ WBA traded up $0.03 on Wednesday, hitting $11.65. 1,645,615 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,263,487. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.08 and a twelve month high of $13.25. The company's 50 day moving average price is $11.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.13. 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 $10.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.78.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $38.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.63 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on WBA. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.