StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA)

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Free Report) in a report published on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the pharmacy operator's stock.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Walgreens Boots Alliance from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $11.00 to $9.00 in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.59.

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Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

WBA stock traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $10.68. The company had a trading volume of 26,004,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,848,132. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market cap of $9.23 billion, a PE ratio of -1.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.67. Walgreens Boots Alliance has a 12 month low of $8.08 and a 12 month high of $19.48. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $10.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.96.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.13. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 5.87% and a positive return on equity of 17.61%. The company had revenue of $39.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $37.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. Walgreens Boots Alliance's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walgreens Boots Alliance

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Financial Corp IN boosted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 2,685 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 123.8% during the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 2,874 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,590 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 79.5% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,928 shares of the pharmacy operator's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors own 58.59% of the company's stock.

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.