KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Boosts Stock Holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 13.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 708,789 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after buying an additional 83,600 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS owned approximately 0.08% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $7,917,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WBA. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,297 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 28.6% during the 1st quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 4,500 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 133.6% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 6,100 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 3,489 shares in the last quarter. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WBA shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. 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 given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walgreens Boots Alliance has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.59.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Stefano Pessina purchased 832,258 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock in a transaction that occurred on Sunday, April 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.01 per share, for a total transaction of $9,163,160.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 145,621,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,603,288,079.79. This represents a 0.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 17.50% of the company's stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 0.2%

Walgreens Boots Alliance stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $11.61. 4,789,232 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,068,763. 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 firm's 50 day simple moving average is $11.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.10. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.08 and a twelve month high of $13.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.05 billion, a PE ratio of -1.59, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.78.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $36.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current 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.