Wesleyan Assurance Society Has $1.38 Million Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Wesleyan Assurance Society lowered its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 29.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 123,326 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 52,000 shares during the period. Wesleyan Assurance Society's holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $1,378,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WBA. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth about $58,241,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake 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 worth $72,215,000 after buying an additional 5,036,300 shares during the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth about $38,457,000. Invesco Ltd. grew 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 buying an additional 2,631,332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 101.2% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 4,595,507 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $42,876,000 after purchasing an additional 2,311,806 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.59% of the company's stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:WBA traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $11.60. 4,884,605 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,589,893. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $8.08 and a fifty-two week high of $13.25. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $11.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.07. The firm has a market cap of $10.04 billion, a PE ratio of -1.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.78.

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. 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 analyst estimates of $36.72 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, Chairman Stefano Pessina purchased 832,258 shares of the stock in a transaction on Sunday, April 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $11.01 per share, for a total transaction of $9,163,160.58. Following the purchase, the chairman owned 145,621,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,603,288,079.79. This represents a 0.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen began coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.59.

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.