Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Acquires 4,848 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 62,618 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,848 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $1,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Highlander Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1,241.8% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 58.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

WBA stock opened at $12.10 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.68 and a 1 year high of $31.32.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 27th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $36.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.94 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 3.99% and a positive return on equity of 12.63%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. Analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 20th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s payout ratio is -14.84%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on WBA. Barclays reduced their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 24th. UBS Group cut their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Raymond James reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.64.

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.