Short Interest in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Drops By 19.9%

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 77,330,000 shares, a drop of 19.9% from the December 15th total of 96,530,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 24,700,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Approximately 10.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Trading Up 2.9 %

NASDAQ:WBA opened at $12.24 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.37. Walgreens Boots Alliance has a one year low of $8.08 and a one year high of $23.76. The company has a market cap of $10.57 billion, a PE ratio of -1.22, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $9.36 and a 200-day moving average of $9.81.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 10th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.13. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a positive return on equity of 14.23% and a negative net margin of 5.85%. The firm had revenue of $39.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -9.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walgreens Boots Alliance

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Financial Corp IN boosted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 49.2% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 2,685 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 8,670.3% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 3,245 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 3,208 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 250.0% in the second quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership now owns 3,500 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. 58.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays upped their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $19.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.81.

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.