Nomura Holdings Inc. Trims Stock Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Nomura Holdings Inc. decreased its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,658 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 7,014 shares during the quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highlander Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares during the period. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari bought 3,000 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The shares were purchased 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 in the company, valued at approximately $54,150. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $18.05 per share, for a total transaction of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,150. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Manmohan Mahajan bought 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $19.38 per share, with a total value of $116,280.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 166,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,235,859.22. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 17.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of WBA stock opened at $15.87 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.62 and a 12-month high of $32.53. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $16.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.50.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $37.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.16 EPS. Analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.30%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 20th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s payout ratio is -14.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on 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. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Leerink Partnrs restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $16.00 to $13.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.57.

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.