Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 10.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 587,205 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 66,284 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $15,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBA. Highlander Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1,241.8% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 308.4% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ WBA opened at $18.02 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.57, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.66. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a one year low of $17.49 and a one year high of $35.36. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $19.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.72.

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

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s payout ratio is -14.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Leerink Partnrs restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Monday, February 26th. TheStreet upgraded Walgreens Boots Alliance from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $21.00 price target for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walgreens Boots Alliance presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.05 per share, for a total transaction of $54,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $54,150. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $54,150. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Manmohan Mahajan purchased 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $19.38 per share, for a total transaction of $116,280.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 166,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,235,859.22. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 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.