O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA – Get Rating) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,411 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after buying an additional 2,899 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $2,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 104.6% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 36,922 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $1,752,000 after buying an additional 18,879 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 31.1% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 20,791 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $931,000 after buying an additional 4,931 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 27.9% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,569 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,651 shares during the period. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. increased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 63,483 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $2,842,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 467,533 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $20,932,000 after purchasing an additional 58,184 shares during the period. 56.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Down 2.7 %

NASDAQ:WBA opened at $29.97 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.86 billion, a PE ratio of -8.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.71. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.75 and a twelve month high of $44.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company’s 50 day moving average is $33.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.26.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $34.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.56 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 2.36% and a positive return on equity of 12.42%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.59 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.41%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 18th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s payout ratio is -52.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, CEO Rosalind G. Brewer acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $33.95 per share, for a total transaction of $339,500.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 369,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,559,632.75. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 30th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 22nd. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $45.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Sunday, March 26th. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $41.00 price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, March 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.46.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Profile

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Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc engages in the provision of healthcare and retail pharmacy services. It operates through the following segments: United States Retail Pharmacy, International, and United States Healthcare. The US Retail Pharmacy segment includes the operation of retail drugstores, health and wellness services, specialty and home delivery pharmacy services, and equity method investment.