Pingora Partners LLC Grows Stock Position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Pingora Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 69.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 205,880 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 84,672 shares during the period. Walgreens Boots Alliance accounts for approximately 1.3% of Pingora Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Pingora Partners LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $1,921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WBA. First Financial Corp IN grew its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 49.2% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 2,685 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Riverview Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 123.8% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 2,874 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,590 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 58.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Walgreens Boots Alliance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $11.00 to $9.00 in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.59.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WBA opened at $11.03 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.54 billion, a PE ratio of -1.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.67. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.08 and a 1 year high of $18.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $10.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.19.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 8th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.10. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 5.87% and a positive return on equity of 17.61%. The firm had revenue of $38.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict 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.