Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Shares Purchased by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 1,331.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 295,685 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 275,033 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $6,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Highlander Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1,241.8% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock opened at $11.82 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $13.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.69 and a twelve month high of $30.79. The stock has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.46%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio is currently -14.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WBA. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 28th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $17.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $30.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $11.00 target price (down from $22.00) on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.86.

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.