Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) has been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the fifteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $12.58.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WBA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $20.00 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.50 to $10.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $11.00 to $7.50 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walgreens Boots Alliance

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBA. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 43.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,969,188 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $98,284,000 after buying an additional 3,329,857 shares during the period. Altrius Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 76.6% in the third quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 440,483 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $3,947,000 after acquiring an additional 190,996 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 23.4% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 340,431 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $3,050,000 after purchasing an additional 64,586 shares in the last quarter. Sasco Capital Inc. CT lifted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 13.6% during the third quarter. Sasco Capital Inc. CT now owns 1,041,440 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $9,331,000 after purchasing an additional 124,950 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 82.8% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 139,377 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 63,149 shares in the last quarter. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of WBA opened at $9.68 on Friday. Walgreens Boots Alliance has a 52 week low of $8.08 and a 52 week high of $27.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $8.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.97, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $9.26 and a 200-day moving average of $10.36.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.03. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 5.85% and a positive return on equity of 14.23%. The firm had revenue of $37.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance will post 1.53 EPS for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.33%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -9.99%.

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.