1,661 Shares in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Acquired by Rakuten Securities Inc.

Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,661 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock, valued at approximately $43,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 469,612 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $12,262,000 after acquiring an additional 129,361 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 72,610 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $1,896,000 after buying an additional 15,500 shares during the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter worth $238,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 3,077,336 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $80,349,000 after buying an additional 339,143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter worth $2,924,000. Institutional investors own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of WBA opened at $17.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.51, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.95. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.51 and a twelve month high of $36.14.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.38. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 4.18% and a positive return on equity of 12.11%. The firm had revenue of $37.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.86 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.16 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WBA shares. Barclays started coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $21.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Monday, April 1st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.36.

Insider Transactions at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In related news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,150. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.05 per share, for a total transaction of $54,150.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $54,150. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Valerie B. Jarrett purchased 4,456 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $22.44 per share, with a total value of $99,992.64. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 4,456 shares in the company, valued at $99,992.64. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 13,456 shares of company stock valued at $270,423. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

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.