Symmetry Investments LP Makes New Investment in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Symmetry Investments LP purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 20,900 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock, valued at approximately $253,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WBA. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 282.1% during the fourth quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,219 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, First Personal Financial Services raised its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 260.0% in the 1st quarter. First Personal Financial Services now owns 1,800 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

WBA opened at $8.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.46 and a 12-month high of $27.05. The business has a 50 day moving average of $10.29 and a 200-day moving average of $14.72. The stock has a market cap of $7.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.29, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.70.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 27th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.05). Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 3.99% and a positive return on equity of 12.63%. The business had revenue of $36.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 2.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.48%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -14.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WBA shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $17.00 to $10.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 28th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $17.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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 research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $22.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.73.

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.