SG Americas Securities LLC Has $1.68 Million Stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

SG Americas Securities LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) by 57.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 64,313 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock after selling 87,743 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $1,679,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 86,675,198 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $1,927,656,000 after purchasing an additional 10,962,030 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 66,949,919 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $1,907,403,000 after purchasing an additional 3,543,790 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,026,420 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $378,668,000 after purchasing an additional 3,013,807 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,584,371 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $279,876,000 after purchasing an additional 1,720,228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 84,503.5% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,325,830 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $311,053,000 after purchasing an additional 8,315,989 shares during the last quarter. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of WBA traded up $0.67 on Friday, reaching $21.69. The stock had a trading volume of 32,886,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,377,644. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $21.71 and a 200 day moving average of $22.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.71 billion, a PE ratio of 32.86, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.68 and a twelve month high of $36.58.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.38. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a return on equity of 10.48% and a net margin of 0.40%. The firm had revenue of $37.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.16 EPS. Walgreens Boots Alliance's quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.61%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. Walgreens Boots Alliance's dividend payout ratio is presently 151.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Timothy C. Wentworth bought 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.22 per share, with a total value of $242,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 585,122 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,171,654.84. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Nancy M. Schlichting sold 15,209 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total value of $350,567.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Timothy C. Wentworth acquired 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $24.22 per share, for a total transaction of $242,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 585,122 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,171,654.84. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on WBA. HSBC reaffirmed a "reduce" rating and set a $20.00 price objective (down from $27.00) on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Raymond James reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Tuesday. TheStreet raised Walgreens Boots Alliance from a "d+" rating to a "c-" rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an "underweight" rating and a $21.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $25.00.

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.