Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 141,383 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 8.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,472,220 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 141,383 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.17% of Walgreens Boots Alliance worth $16,445,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WBA. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 79.5% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,928 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,297 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 4,585 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 126.8% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,978 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walgreens Boots Alliance news, Chairman Stefano Pessina bought 832,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Sunday, April 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $11.01 per share, with a total value of $9,163,160.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 145,621,079 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,603,288,079.79. This trade represents a 0.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WBA. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Down 0.1%

WBA opened at $11.48 on Friday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.08 and a twelve month high of $13.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $11.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.87. The firm has a market cap of $9.93 billion, a PE ratio of -1.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.78.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $38.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.72 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 4.07% and a positive return on equity of 17.66%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

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.