Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) Shares Up 2.5%

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)’s stock price traded up 2.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $11.11 and last traded at $11.09. 1,938,720 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 15,449,830 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.82.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WBA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $35.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Barclays decreased their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $11.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down from $22.00) on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a report on Friday, June 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $30.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $17.00 to $10.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.86.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Up 1.1 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $12.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.05. The company has a market cap of $9.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.65, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 27th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $36.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.94 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 12.63% and a negative net margin of 3.99%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.14%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio is currently -14.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walgreens Boots Alliance

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Atlas Brown Inc. raised its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 31,593 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $685,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 6,100 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares in the last quarter. Shilanski & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Shilanski & Associates Inc. now owns 11,821 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 32,085 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 6,757 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the period. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.