Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Shares Sold by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC trimmed its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 52.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 84,020 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 91,216 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth $58,241,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 186.3% during 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 period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 32,572,567 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $303,902,000 after acquiring an additional 2,631,332 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 101.2% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 4,595,507 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $42,876,000 after purchasing an additional 2,311,806 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 86,335,084 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $805,506,000 after purchasing an additional 2,279,495 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.59% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Stefano Pessina bought 832,258 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Sunday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $11.01 per share, with a total value of $9,163,160.58. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 145,621,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,603,288,079.79. This trade represents a 0.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 17.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WBA shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of WBA stock opened at $11.45 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.84. The company has a market capitalization of $9.91 billion, a PE ratio of -1.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.78. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.08 and a twelve month high of $13.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm 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%. The firm's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.

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