Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 2,962,389 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has reduced its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 3.4%, now holding approximately 83.37 million shares worth about $931 million following the sale of almost 2.96 million shares.
• Several other institutional investors, including Russell Investments Group and Rockefeller Capital Management, have recently adjusted their positions in Walgreens Boots Alliance, reflecting a variety of changes in stake sizes.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported $0.38 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, while the company’s quarterly revenue increased by 7.2% year-over-year.

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 83,372,695 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 2,962,389 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.64% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $931,273,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its stake 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,297 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 135.8% in the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,152 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WBA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walgreens Boots Alliance presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:WBA traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $11.89. 5,848,016 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,403,814. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.63, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.80. The business's fifty day moving average price is $11.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.60. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.08 and a twelve month high of $13.25.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Walgreens Boots Alliance's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.63 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict 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.