New York Life Investment Management LLC Has $3.01 Million Stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 115,196 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 690 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $3,008,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WBA. Highlander Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1,241.8% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 308.4% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WBA opened at $17.81 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.58. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.25 and a 1-year high of $32.89. The firm has a market cap of $15.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.80.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 28th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $37.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.86 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 12.11% and a negative net margin of 4.18%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -14.29%.

Insider Activity at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In related news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,150. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, CFO Manmohan Mahajan purchased 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $19.38 per share, with a total value of $116,280.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 166,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,235,859.22. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,150. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 17.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. TheStreet upgraded Walgreens Boots Alliance from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 1st. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Leerink Partnrs reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.36.

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.