Norges Bank Acquires Shares of 1,141,951 Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) (2024)

Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA – Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,141,951 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock, valued at approximately $29,816,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 86,675,198 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $1,927,656,000 after purchasing an additional 10,962,030 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,026,420 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $378,668,000 after purchasing an additional 3,013,807 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,584,371 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $279,876,000 after acquiring an additional 1,720,228 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,519,845 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $170,233,000 after acquiring an additional 613,847 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 3,077,336 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $80,349,000 after acquiring an additional 339,143 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WBA opened at $16.22 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $17.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.97. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 1 year low of $14.62 and a 1 year high of $32.89. The company has a market capitalization of $13.99 billion, a PE ratio of -2.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.66.

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Walgreens Boots Alliance Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.17%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -14.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Raymond James restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and set a $20.00 price target (down previously from $27.00) on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walgreens Boots Alliance has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $23.86.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Walgreens Boots Alliance

Insider Buying and Selling at Walgreens Boots Alliance

In related news, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $18.05 per share, with a total value of $54,150.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,150. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Manmohan Mahajan acquired 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $19.38 per share, with a total value of $116,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 166,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,235,859.22. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Inderpal S. Bhandari purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The stock was acquired 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 owns 3,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,150. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

About Walgreens Boots Alliance

(Free Report)

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.