Gabelli Funds LLC Has $4.94 Million Stock Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $WBA

Gabelli Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 177.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 442,050 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 282,850 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $4,938,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 2.3% during the first quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 44,104 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 28.6% during the first quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 4,500 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 6.6% during the first quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 17,682 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 3.0% during the first quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 39,978 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Finally, Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 4.5% during the first quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,837 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on WBA. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen started coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walgreens Boots Alliance has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance stock opened at $11.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.37 billion, a PE ratio of -1.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.60. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.08 and a 52 week high of $13.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.23.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, June 26th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $38.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.72 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 17.66% and a negative net margin of 4.07%.Walgreens Boots Alliance’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.