Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Has $15.40 Million Stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 1,568.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,650,377 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,551,457 shares during the quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $15,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the third quarter worth about $208,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,587 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 1,454 shares during the period. Wealthquest Corp acquired a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the third quarter worth approximately $130,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the third quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 54.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 321,425 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $2,893,000 after acquiring an additional 113,242 shares during the period. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ WBA opened at $10.93 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $10.96 and a 200-day moving average of $10.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.67. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.08 and a 52 week high of $18.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.64.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 8th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $38.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.90 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 17.61% and a negative net margin of 5.87%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Stefano Pessina acquired 832,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Sunday, April 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.01 per share, with a total value of $9,163,160.58. Following the completion of the purchase, the chairman now directly owns 145,621,079 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,603,288,079.79. This trade represents a 0.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 17.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on WBA shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Sunday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Walgreens Boots Alliance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the company from $11.00 to $9.00 in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wolfe Research raised Walgreens Boots Alliance to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.50 to $8.50 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.59.

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.