Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Shares Sold by Ceeto Capital Group LLC

Ceeto Capital Group LLC lessened its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 52.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,700 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 17,500 shares during the quarter. Ceeto Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WBA. Highlander Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1,241.8% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 981 shares during the last quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Up 2.7 %

NASDAQ WBA traded up $0.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $11.82. 14,503,093 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 25,245,074. The stock has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $13.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $18.12. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1 year low of $10.69 and a 1 year high of $31.32.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 27th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $36.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -14.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WBA shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $22.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective 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. 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 reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective (down from $22.00) on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.