Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) Inc. is a world-renowned healthcare, pharmacy, and retailing company. Founded in 1901 by John Boot and Charles R. Walgreen, the company has grown to become a leader in the industry, operating in nine countries and providing access to healthcare services to millions of people around the world. Walgreens Boots Alliance operates through three main segments: U.S. Retail Pharmacy, International, and U.S. Healthcare.
The U.S. Retail Pharmacy segment includes the Walgreens business, which operates health and wellness services, retail drugstores, specialty and home delivery pharmacy services, and an equity method investment in AmerisourceBergen. Walgreens stores have locations in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, offering access to consumer goods and services, pharmacy, photo department, and health and wellness services. Walgreens also operates online stores like Walgreens.com, Drugstore.com, VisionDirect.com, and Beauty.com.
The International segment consists of pharmacy-led health and beauty retail businesses outside the United States and a pharmaceutical wholesaling and distribution company in Germany. This segment includes the Boots brand, which has a history stretching back over 170 years in the United Kingdom, and stores in Ireland and Thailand with Boots franchise operations in the Middle East and Indonesia. The remainder of the division comprises Farmacias Ahumada (FASA) pharmacies in Chile and Benavides in Mexico. The Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division, including the Alliance Healthcare brand, supplied medicines and other healthcare products to more than 115,000 doctors, health centers, pharmacies, and hospitals annually in eleven countries through 306 distribution centers. AmerisourceBergen purchased most of the Alliance Healthcare wholesale division in June 2021 for $6.275bn in cash.
The U.S. Healthcare segment is a consumer-centric, technology-enabled healthcare business that engages consumers through a personalized, omnichannel experience across the care journey. This segment includes the operation of 334 VillageMD clinics, including 146 co-located clinics, 124 standalone clinics, and 64 affiliate clinics.
Walgreens Boots Alliance produces many brands, including Soltan and Botanics, Boots Pharmaceuticals, and Boots Laboratories, No. 7, that Alliance Boots and Walgreens sought to launch internationally following the first share purchase in 2012. These brands include the famous No. 7 beauty serums, developed in Nottingham, the UVA 5-star suncare protection by Soltan, and the Botanics range, developed in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Boots' brand range includes medicines, healthcare products, skincare, and many more. Walgreens also has a self-branded line of products called "Well at Walgreens."
For the fiscal year 2020, Walgreens Boots Alliance reported earnings of US$456 million. The reported revenue was US$139.5 billion, an increase of 2.5% over the previous fiscal cycle. As of 2022, Walgreens Boots Alliance is ranked #18 on the Fortune 500 rankings. The company pays a Quarterly dividend of $0.48, representing an annual dividend yield of 5.08%. Wall Street analysts consider Walgreens stock to be Undervalued.
Walgreens Boots Alliance has 862,503,540 shares outstanding, and its market cap is currently $31.99B. The company’s EPS estimate is $1.12, and its most recent earnings report saw it beat expectations with an EPS of $1.16. Following the earnings report, the stock price went down -6.135%. Among the most significant hedge funds holding Walgreens Boots Alliance’s shares is Antipodes Partners Ltd., which owns shares valued at $58M.
Walgreens Boots Alliance is a global healthcare leader committed to providing high-quality services and products to its customers. The company’s innovative strategies have earned it a reputation as a reliable and reputable partner for healthcare providers and consumers. With its wide array of products and services, Walgreens Boots Alliance is well-positioned to continue growing and meeting the needs of its customers for years to come.
