Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 367,189 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 36.7%, owning 1,369,033 shares valued at approximately $15.3 million.
• Investment analysts have given Walgreens Boots Alliance an average rating of "Hold" with an average target price of $10.59.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported earnings of $0.38 per share, exceeding expectations and reflecting a 7.2% year-over-year revenue increase to $38.99 billion.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 36.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,369,033 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after acquiring an additional 367,189 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.16% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $15,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 10.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,580,827 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $162,868,000 after purchasing an additional 1,425,689 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 18.8% in 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 during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.0% in the fourth 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 valued at $74,384,000 after acquiring an additional 378,039 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 186.3% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 7,740,100 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $72,215,000 after acquiring an additional 5,036,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 23.5% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,567,154 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $84,525,000 after purchasing an additional 1,441,780 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.59% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WBA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walgreens Boots Alliance currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 0.2%

Walgreens Boots Alliance stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $11.89. The stock had a trading volume of 5,848,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,403,814. The stock has a market cap of $10.29 billion, a PE ratio of -1.63, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.80. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.08 and a 52 week high of $13.25. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.11.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.04. The company 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%. Walgreens Boots Alliance's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. Analysts forecast 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.