Brokerages Set Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Price Target at $10.59

Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Reduce" by the twelve research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.59.

WBA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $11.49. 2,014,021 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 19,062,577. The stock has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.78. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $11.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.01. Walgreens Boots Alliance has a 12-month low of $8.08 and a 12-month 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 data on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Stefano Pessina bought 832,258 shares of the stock in a transaction on Sunday, April 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.01 per share, for a total transaction of $9,163,160.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 145,621,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,603,288,079.79. This represents a 0.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 79.5% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,928 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,297 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 135.8% in the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,152 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. 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.