Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Purchases 6,810 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 177,399 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,810 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $4,632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 38.0% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 469,612 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $12,262,000 after acquiring an additional 129,361 shares in the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 72,610 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $1,896,000 after acquiring an additional 15,500 shares in the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter valued at about $238,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 3,077,336 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $80,349,000 after purchasing an additional 339,143 shares during the period. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $21.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.36.

Insider Transactions at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In related news, Director Valerie B. Jarrett bought 4,456 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $22.44 per share, with a total value of $99,992.64. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 4,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $99,992.64. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,150. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Valerie B. Jarrett acquired 4,456 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $22.44 per share, with a total value of $99,992.64. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 4,456 shares in the company, valued at $99,992.64. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 13,456 shares of company stock valued at $270,423. 17.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 3.7 %

Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock opened at $18.24 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.61, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.51 and a 12-month high of $36.14. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $20.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.93.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.38. The firm 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.