Vazirani Asset Management LLC Acquires New Shares in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA

Key Points

• Vazirani Asset Management LLC purchased 125,000 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, valued at approximately $202,000, making it the firm's 15th largest holding.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported earnings of $0.38 EPS in its recent quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.34, along with a revenue of $38.99 billion.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.59% of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock, indicating strong interest from large stakeholders.

Vazirani Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 125,000 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock, valued at approximately $202,000. Walgreens Boots Alliance makes up 0.7% of Vazirani Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WBA. Curat Global LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 79.5% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,928 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,297 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 135.8% in the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,152 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter valued at about $43,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WBA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen began coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $10.15.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of WBA stock remained flat at $11.98 during mid-day trading on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $10.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.80. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $11.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.31. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $38.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

About Walgreens Boots Alliance

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.