Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) Stock Price Up 1.2% – Still a Buy?

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) shares traded up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $8.93 and last traded at $8.77. 4,564,560 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 16,361,191 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.67.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WBA. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $17.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $22.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Barclays reduced their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $11.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $22.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.73.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

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 market capitalization of $7.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $9.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.99.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.34%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio is presently -14.84%.

Institutional Trading of Walgreens Boots Alliance

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 162.5% in the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 87.0% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,081 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 71.2% during the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 2,453 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 282.1% in the fourth quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,219 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.