Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) Sets New 1-Year Low at $16.93

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $16.93 and last traded at $17.03, with a volume of 5869728 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.82.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WBA. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, SVB Leerink decreased their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $24.36.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Down 6.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $14.39 billion, a PE ratio of -2.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $18.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.27.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $37.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.86 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 12.11% and a negative net margin of 4.18%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.16 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.00%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. Walgreens Boots Alliance's payout ratio is -14.29%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.05 per share, for a total transaction of $54,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $54,150. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.05 per share, for a total transaction of $54,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $54,150. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Manmohan Mahajan acquired 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $19.38 per share, with a total value of $116,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 166,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,235,859.22. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walgreens Boots Alliance

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 308.4% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1,241.8% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 981 shares during the period. Finally, Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.