Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Shares Purchased by Versant Capital Management Inc

Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 3,588.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,014 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after buying an additional 23,363 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $268,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Riverview Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 123.8% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 2,874 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 1,297 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on WBA. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $11.00 to $9.00 in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wolfe Research upgraded Walgreens Boots Alliance to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen began coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Walgreens Boots Alliance presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, Chairman Stefano Pessina bought 832,258 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock in a transaction dated Sunday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $11.01 per share, for a total transaction of $9,163,160.58. Following the purchase, the chairman now owns 145,621,079 shares in the company, valued at $1,603,288,079.79. This represents a 0.57% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 17.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of WBA traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $11.29. The company had a trading volume of 2,114,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,840,958. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.08 and a 1-year high of $16.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $11.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.53. The stock has a market cap of $9.76 billion, a PE ratio of -1.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.78.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 8th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.10. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 5.87% and a positive return on equity of 17.61%. The firm had revenue of $38.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $37.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast 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.