Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Position Trimmed by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,282,026 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 41,695 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $33,474,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 3rd quarter worth about $398,000. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 47.8% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 125,260 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $2,786,000 after acquiring an additional 40,486 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 515,429 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $11,463,000 after acquiring an additional 7,470 shares during the period. Simplicity Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 140,006 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $3,114,000 after acquiring an additional 7,124 shares during the period. Finally, First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,150. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, CFO Manmohan Mahajan purchased 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $19.38 per share, for a total transaction of $116,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 166,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,235,859.22. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $18.05 per share, for a total transaction of $54,150.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,150. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 13,456 shares of company stock valued at $270,423. 17.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:WBA opened at $17.70 on Friday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.49 and a 12 month high of $35.38. The firm has a market cap of $15.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company’s 50 day moving average is $20.01 and its 200-day moving average is $21.77.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on WBA shares. SVB Leerink decreased their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Monday, February 26th. HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and set a $20.00 price objective (down previously from $27.00) on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set an “underweight” rating and a $21.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.36.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Company 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.