Clifford Capital Partners LLC Purchases 79,345 Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)

Clifford Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 882,549 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock after buying an additional 79,345 shares during the quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance were worth $7,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance by 162.5% in the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 87.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,324 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,081 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance by 71.2% in the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 2,453 shares of the pharmacy operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.59% of the company’s stock.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Price Performance

NASDAQ WBA opened at $8.73 on Wednesday. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.08 and a 12 month high of $27.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $9.13 and its 200 day moving average is $11.39.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The pharmacy operator reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $37.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.75 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a negative net margin of 5.85% and a positive return on equity of 14.23%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.45%. Walgreens Boots Alliance’s payout ratio is -9.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on WBA. UBS Group lifted their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 note on Friday, October 11th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $7.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine 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 currently has an average 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.