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Why the Market Dipped But Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) Gained Today

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Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA - Free Report) closed the latest trading day at $8.77, indicating a +0.34% change from the previous session's end. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.73%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 1.01%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 2.55%.

The the stock of largest U.S. drugstore chain has fallen by 19.52% in the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 8.52% and the S&P 500's gain of 6.22%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Walgreens Boots Alliance in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $0.36, showcasing a 46.27% downward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $35.8 billion, indicating a 1.08% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

Furthermore, it would be beneficial for investors to monitor any recent shifts in analyst projections for Walgreens Boots Alliance. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the company's business operations and its ability to generate profits.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 11.25% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Walgreens Boots Alliance presently features 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 4.61 right now. This denotes a discount relative to the industry's average Forward P/E of 8.84.

Investors should also note that WBA has a PEG ratio of 0.92 right now. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Retail - Pharmacies and Drug Stores industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 0.87 as of yesterday's close.

The Retail - Pharmacies and Drug Stores industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 250, putting it in the bottom 2% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within 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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