Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 357,424 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after buying an additional 12,151 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $3,993,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 79.5% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,928 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,297 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth $27,000. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 135.8% during the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,152 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815 shares during the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth $43,000. 58.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

WBA opened at $12.07 on Friday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.08 and a 12-month high of $13.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.45 billion, a PE ratio of -1.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $11.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.17.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.04. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 4.07% and a positive return on equity of 17.66%. The company had revenue of $38.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.72 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on WBA shares. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $10.59.

About Walgreens Boots Alliance

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.