Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) has received a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $12.88.

A number of research analysts have commented on WBA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $20.00 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 30th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $11.00 to $7.50 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

Shares of WBA stock opened at $9.39 on Thursday. Walgreens Boots Alliance has a 1-year low of $8.22 and a 1-year high of $27.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $8.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.13.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.03. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 14.23% and a negative net margin of 5.85%. The firm had revenue of $37.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.67 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walgreens Boots Alliance will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio is currently -9.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walgreens Boots Alliance

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBA. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 162.5% during the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 boosted its position in shares of 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. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the third quarter worth about $33,000. 58.59% of the stock is 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.