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

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 177,399 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,810 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $4,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WBA. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 308.4% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 981 shares during the period. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2,314.5% in the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,328 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273 shares during the period. Finally, Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on WBA. SVB Leerink dropped their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. TheStreet raised Walgreens Boots Alliance from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Raymond James reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, CFO Manmohan Mahajan acquired 6,000 shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $19.38 per share, for a total transaction of $116,280.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 166,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,235,859.22. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Manmohan Mahajan purchased 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $19.38 per share, for a total transaction of $116,280.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 166,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,235,859.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $54,150. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 13,456 shares of company stock worth $270,423. 17.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WBA opened at $18.24 on Friday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.51 and a 1-year high of $36.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $20.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.93. The company has a market capitalization of $15.74 billion, a PE ratio of -2.61, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.73.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.38. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 12.11% and a negative net margin of 4.18%. The firm had revenue of $37.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.86 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.