FORA Capital LLC Buys Shares of 527,583 Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

FORA Capital LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 527,583 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock, valued at approximately $4,727,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 162.5% in the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 87.0% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 1,081 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 71.2% in the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 2,453 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the third quarter worth about $33,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $19.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walgreens Boots Alliance has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.88.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

WBA traded down $0.33 on Wednesday, hitting $8.73. 17,438,130 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 19,856,136. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.39. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.08 and a 12 month high of $27.05.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.03. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 5.85% and a positive return on equity of 14.23%. The firm had revenue of $37.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s payout ratio is -9.99%.

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.