tru Independence LLC Has $1.69 Million Stake in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

tru Independence LLC lowered its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 9.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,020 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after selling 8,577 shares during the quarter. tru Independence LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $1,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Highlander Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 1,241.8% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 981 shares during the period. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of WBA traded up $0.02 on Tuesday, hitting $11.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,808,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,520,585. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $16.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.14. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.40 and a fifty-two week high of $31.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.72.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 27th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $36.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.94 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 3.99% and a positive return on equity of 12.63%. The company’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 20th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -14.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In related news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.05 per share, for a total transaction of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $54,150. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $35.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $22.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $17.00 to $10.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, SVB Leerink reduced their price target on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walgreens Boots Alliance presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.07.

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.