Wealthquest Corp Purchases Shares of 3,442,846 Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Key Points

• Wealthquest Corp has purchased 3,442,846 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. for approximately $38.5 million, marking the pharmacy operator as 1.7% of Wealthquest's portfolio and its 15th largest holding.
• Recently, a number of institutional investors, including Norges Bank and Two Sigma Advisers LP, have also significantly increased their stakes in Walgreens Boots Alliance.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance reported a 7.2% year-over-year revenue increase with a positive EPS of $0.38, exceeding estimates, amid analyst ratings that currently average to a "Hold."

Wealthquest Corp purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,442,846 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock, valued at approximately $38,457,000. Walgreens Boots Alliance makes up 1.7% of Wealthquest Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Wealthquest Corp owned about 0.40% of Walgreens Boots Alliance at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WBA. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter valued at about $58,241,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake 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 valued at $72,215,000 after buying an additional 5,036,300 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,631,332 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 101.2% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 4,595,507 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $42,876,000 after acquiring an additional 2,311,806 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter valued at $19,760,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WBA. Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Up 0.1%

WBA stock opened at $11.63 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $10.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.78. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.08 and a 1-year 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. The company's 50 day moving average is $11.41 and its 200 day moving average is $11.13.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $38.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.72 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 17.66% and a negative net margin of 4.07%. Walgreens Boots Alliance's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS 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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