3,303 Shares in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) Acquired by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,303 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock, valued at approximately $30,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,809 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $451,000 after buying an additional 2,420 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance during the first quarter worth $184,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 147,956 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $3,209,000 after acquiring an additional 2,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 1st quarter worth $13,710,000. Institutional investors own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

Walgreens Boots Alliance stock opened at $9.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.22 and a 52 week high of $27.05.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last posted its 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 negative net margin of 5.85% and a positive return on equity of 14.23%. The firm had revenue of $37.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.40%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio is presently -9.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays increased their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley cut 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. UBS Group lifted their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.88.

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.