CENTRAL TRUST Co Has $276,000 Stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

CENTRAL TRUST Co reduced its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 30,771 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 1,889 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $276,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 57.5% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 29,061,021 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $630,334,000 after purchasing an additional 10,612,373 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 98.8% in the 2nd quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 6,021,126 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $72,826,000 after buying an additional 2,992,648 shares during the period. Newport Trust Company LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the second quarter worth approximately $31,028,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter worth $16,365,000. Finally, Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the first quarter worth $13,710,000. Institutional investors own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

NASDAQ:WBA opened at $9.26 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.99 billion, a PE ratio of -1.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $9.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.22 and a 12 month high of $27.05.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.03. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 14.23% and a negative net margin of 5.85%. The business had revenue of $37.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.75 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.80%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio is -14.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on WBA shares. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $19.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $22.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.88.

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.