Wealthfront Advisers LLC Sells 648,521 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC lessened its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 46.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 746,372 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 648,521 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC owned 0.09% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $8,337,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 79.5% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,928 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,297 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth $27,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 83.8% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,312 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,422 shares during the period. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 28.6% in the first quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 4,500 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 58.59% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ WBA traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $11.49. 5,206,067 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,823,798. The stock has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.58, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.78. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.04. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.08 and a 1-year 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.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report 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 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 given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.59.

About Walgreens Boots Alliance

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.