MML Investors Services LLC Sells 27,217 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

MML Investors Services LLC cut its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 30.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,034 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 27,217 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $556,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 87.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the second quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the third quarter worth $35,000. 58.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WBA opened at $9.55 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a PE ratio of -0.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $9.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.51. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.08 and a twelve month high of $27.05.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $37.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.75 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 5.85% and a positive return on equity of 14.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio is presently -9.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WBA. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of 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. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine 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 a consensus price target of $12.58.

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.