Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Acquires 2,974 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 2.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 111,706 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $2,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WBA. Highlander Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1,241.8% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares during the period. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the transaction, 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 SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WBA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $30.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $11.00 target price (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 28th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $35.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.71.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Down 4.1 %

Shares of WBA stock opened at $11.10 on Thursday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.10 and a 12-month high of $31.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $16.23 and a 200-day moving average of $19.95. The company has a market capitalization of $9.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.72.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 27th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $36.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.94 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 12.63% and a negative net margin of 3.99%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 2.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.01%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 20th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -14.84%.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Company 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.