Securian Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA – Get Rating) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,916 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $2,201,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WBA. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,483 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $877,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Abundance Wealth Counselors lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 9,910 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the period. ARGI Investment Services LLC lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. ARGI Investment Services LLC now owns 218,851 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $8,176,000 after buying an additional 26,899 shares during the period. Todd Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 10,428 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 173,018 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $6,464,000 after buying an additional 6,974 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 56.71% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms recently issued reports on WBA. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 29th. StockNews.com began coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 29th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $41.00 target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, March 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.46.
Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance
Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.06. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 12.42% and a negative net margin of 2.36%. The business had revenue of $34.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.59 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.
Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 19th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 18th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s payout ratio is -52.60%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, CEO Rosalind G. Brewer purchased 10,000 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $33.95 per share, with a total value of $339,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 369,945 shares in the company, valued at $12,559,632.75. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 17.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
About Walgreens Boots Alliance
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc engages in the provision of healthcare and retail pharmacy services. It operates through the following segments: United States Retail Pharmacy, International, and United States Healthcare. The US Retail Pharmacy segment includes the operation of retail drugstores, health and wellness services, specialty and home delivery pharmacy services, and equity method investment.
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