Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA Shares Bought by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Key Points

• Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. by 92.8%, acquiring an additional 26,677 shares to reach a total of 55,423 shares valued at $619,000.
• A number of institutional investors have also increased their positions in Walgreens Boots Alliance, with Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. growing its stake by 10.8% in the first quarter.
• The stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" with an average target price of $10.59 as analysts maintain varied ratings, including two Hold and four Sell ratings.

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 92.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,423 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after acquiring an additional 26,677 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $619,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WBA. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 10.8% during 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 buying an additional 1,425,689 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 18.8% during the fourth 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 period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.0% during 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 worth $74,384,000 after buying an additional 378,039 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in shares of 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 period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 23.5% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,567,154 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $84,525,000 after buying an additional 1,441,780 shares during the period. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WBA. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen began coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WBA opened at $12.20 on Thursday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.08 and a 12 month high of $13.25. The stock has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.67, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $11.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.04. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 17.66% and a negative net margin of 4.07%.The firm had revenue of $38.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share 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.

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