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Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts

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In the latest market close, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA - Free Report) reached $10.38, with a +0.78% movement compared to the previous day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.32% loss on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.16%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.85%.

Shares of the largest U.S. drugstore chain have depreciated by 12.86% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 2.72% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.52%.

The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Walgreens Boots Alliance in its upcoming release. On that day, Walgreens Boots Alliance is projected to report earnings of $0.36 per share, which would represent a year-over-year decline of 46.27%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $35.81 billion, up 1.1% from the prior-year quarter.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $2.87 per share and a revenue of $145.92 billion, demonstrating changes of -27.89% and +4.92%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Walgreens Boots Alliance should also be noted by investors. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. As of now, Walgreens Boots Alliance holds a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Walgreens Boots Alliance has a Forward P/E ratio of 3.6 right now. This signifies a discount in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 9.02 for its industry.

We can additionally observe that WBA currently boasts a PEG ratio of 0.72. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Retail - Pharmacies and Drug Stores industry had an average PEG ratio of 0.77 as trading concluded yesterday.

The Retail - Pharmacies and Drug Stores industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 250, finds itself in the bottom 2% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.


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