WBA - Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
| Previous Close | 53.42 |
| Open | 53.34 |
| Bid | 53.11 x 1000 |
| Ask | 53.12 x 800 |
| Day's Range | 52.81 - 53.36 |
| 52 Week Range | 49.03 - 74.94 |
| Volume | 1,621,856 |
| Avg. Volume | 6,055,154 |
| Market Cap | 47.044B |
| Beta (5Y Monthly) | 0.90 |
| PE Ratio (TTM) | 13.03 |
| EPS (TTM) | 4.08 |
| Earnings Date | Mar 30, 2020 - Apr 05, 2020 |
| Forward Dividend & Yield | 1.83 (3.43%) |
| Ex-Dividend Date | Nov 13, 2019 |
| 1y Target Est | 56.17 |
- Business Wire
Walgreens Boots Alliance to Webcast Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA) will provide a live webcast of its annual meeting of stockholders.
- Thomson Reuters StreetEvents
Edited Transcript of WBA earnings conference call or presentation 8-Jan-20 1:30pm GMT
Q1 2020 Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc Earnings Call
- Bloomberg
Sainsbury Badly Needs Vision to Combat Amazon and Aldi
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Almost a year since competition authorities dealt a mortal blow to J Sainsbury Plc’s $9.1 billion plan to buy Walmart Inc.’s Asda, Mike Coupe is stepping down as chief executive officer of Britain’s second-largest supermarket chain. He’s been at the helm for almost six years and will be 60 in September, so it’s a natural time to hang up his grocer’s apron.But Coupe’s departure looked inevitable once the Asda combination collapsed. Whether or not Sainsbury mishandled the competition risks, for any CEO, grinding out growth in a sluggish market is far less exciting than pulling off an audacious deal.The choice of Simon Roberts, currently retail and operations director, to succeed him is a surprising one given that his most recent experience before Sainsbury wasn’t in food retail, and he’s a relatively new arrival at the group. Sainsbury’s former finance director, John Rogers, was widely seen as Coupe’s heir apparent, until he left for advertising company WPP Plc in October. This may explain his departure. Roberts, 48, is a hands-on shopkeeper. He spent 15 years at Marks & Spencer Group Plc and 13 years at Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. before joining Sainsbury two and half years ago. But the changes that Sainsbury has made to its stores since then haven’t always gone smoothly. A management overhaul in 2018 led to empty shelves and unkempt shops. In a fast-changing retail market, executives need to augment operational expertise with strategic vision. It’s not yet clear that Roberts has that.It’s interesting that Britain’s two biggest supermarkets, Tesco Plc and Sainsbury, will be led by executives who spent many years at pharmacy retailer Boots. Perhaps it’s replacing Asda as the training ground for top executives. It may be that working for Walgreens CEO Stefano Pessina, who’s known for not suffering fools gladly, is the perfect preparation for taking on difficult challenges — even the brutal U.K. supermarket business.Roberts will need all of the skills he honed under the Italian dealmaker to keep Sainsbury on track. First of all, he must continue to battle the company’s other major rivals which make up the U.K.’s Big Four grocers — Tesco, Asda and Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc. And he must defend Sainsbury from the U.K. arms of the German discounters, Aldi and Lidl, which are increasingly forging into Sainsbury’s heartland in the south eastern U.K. Coupe did a good job cutting Sainsbury’s prices on everyday items. Roberts must continue this. For a while in 2018 and early 2019, after the damaging store-management overhaul, sales growth slipped behind that of rivals. Sainsbury was beginning to look like the sick grocer from which everyone else was seeking to steal market share. Its sales have recovered since, but Roberts must maintain that momentum.Secondly, Sainsbury must get Argos, the catalog retailer that Coupe acquired four years ago, back on track. The business, which sells everything from toys to tents, had a poor Christmas. In order to defend itself from the mighty Amazon.com Inc., it must better exploit its combination of online presence and bricks-and-mortar stores, as well as ensure its prices are right. On Tuesday, Sainsbury announced it would further integrate Argos into Sainsbury, axing hundreds of management jobs and cutting costs as it merges divisions including commercial retail and finance. This program must be managed without disruption.If all of this doesn’t go to plan, there is always the risk that Sainsbury, perennially tipped as a takeover target, could finally attract the attentions of a bidder. No one can fault Coupe for his bold decisions. In an environment where just keeping your head above water is hard enough, he was prepared to make daring moves. Unfortunately, they didn’t always pay off.To contact the author of this story: Andrea Felsted at afelsted@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Melissa Pozsgay at mpozsgay@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.Andrea Felsted is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the consumer and retail industries. She previously worked at the Financial Times.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- MarketWatch
Dow's 83-point drop led by losses for shares of Dow Inc., Walgreens Boots
DOW UPDATE Shares of Dow Inc. and Walgreens Boots are trading lower Tuesday morning, dragging the Dow Jones Industrial Average into negative territory. The Dow (DJIA) was most recently trading 83 points lower (-0.
- Moody's
AmerisourceBergen Corporation -- Moody's affirms AmerisourceBergen's Baa2 senior unsecured rating; outlook stable
Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") affirmed AmerisourceBergen Corporation's ("AmerisourceBergen") Baa2 senior unsecured rating and Prime-2 senior unsecured commercial paper rating. The affirmation of the Baa2 rating reflects Moody's expectation that AmerisourceBergen's cash flow will remain strong, with approximately $1.5 billion of free cash flow after dividends per annum over the next three years.
- MarketWatch
Covis Pharma's asthma treatment to be available at Walgreens for free for those with commercial insurance
Covis Pharma B.V., a Holland-based privately held specialty pharmaceutical company, announced Wednesday a deal in which its for its Alvesco Inhalation Aerosol asthma treatment will be exclusively available at Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. pharmacies for a reduced cost. Covis said Alvesco, an inhaled anti-inflammatory maintenance therapy, will be free for eligible patients with commercial insurance. For eligible patients without insurance or prescription drug coverage, Alvesco prescriptions can be filled at a lower cost, not to exceed $50. "While there is no cure for asthma, it can be managed with proper treatment and we are proud to help patients with our best-in-class therapy Alvesco," said Covis Chief Executive Michael Porter. "Now with our Walgreens' collaboration, we will be able to further extend our ability to help patients by alleviating the financial burden of managing this disease." Walgreens's stock, which slipped 0.4% in midday trading, has slipped 0.2% over the past three months, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 7.5%.
- Barrons.com
Democrats Called for Cuts to Drug Prices at the Debate. The Pharma Industry Says It’s Trying.
Pharmaceutical executives at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference say the industry can fixed pricing problems on its own.
- Business Wire
Walgreens Provides Relief Efforts to Help Communities in Puerto Rico with Earthquake Aftermath
Walgreens is supporting relief efforts in Puerto Rico as many communities work to recover in the aftermath of earthquakes that impacted the region last week.
- Yahoo Finance
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: 'I really would love for the 2020s to be defined differently'
Yahoo Finance speaks at length about the future of retail and the cloud business in an exclusive interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
- MarketWatch
JPMorgan Chase, Walgreens Boots share gains contribute to Dow's nearly 75-point climb
DOW UPDATE Shares of JPMorgan Chase and Walgreens Boots are trading higher Tuesday morning, lifting the Dow Jones Industrial Average into positive territory. Shares of JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Walgreens Boots (WBA) are contributing to the index's intraday rally, as the Dow (DJIA) is trading 73 points (0.
- Business Wire
Walgreens Boots Alliance to Participate in 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA) today announced participation in a fireside chat at the 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
- MarketWatch
Walgreens is missing out on sales opportunities in beauty, analyst says
Walgreens said that beauty products were among the big Black Friday categories, a category for growth that GlobalData Retail says the company is missing out on.
- Simply Wall St.
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. Earnings Missed Analyst Estimates: Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting Now
Last week, you might have seen that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) released its quarterly result to the...
- Benzinga
Bulls And Bears Of The Week: Apple, Citigroup, Southwest, Walgreens And More
Benzinga has examined the prospects for many investor favorite stocks over the past week. Benzinga continues to examine the prospects for many of the stocks most popular with investors. In Shanthi Rexaline's "7 Reasons Why Apple Is Staying On Needham's Conviction List In 2020," find out why, despite some short-term concerns, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) remains a long-term pick.
- American City Business Journals
The cooler aisle gets smarter as startup expands deal with Walgreens
Chicago startup Cooler Screens announced Friday that it is expanding its partnership with Walgreens to bring its digital doors to thousands of new Walgreens locations.
- InvestorPlace
3 Monthly Dividend Stocks to Buy That You Can Rely On
We all have bills and expenses each and every month. However, when it comes to investing in dividend-paying stocks, there's always been a mismatch between when you get paid dividend distributions and when you cut checks or click to make your payments.This is because the vast number of U.S.-listed companies pay their dividends on a quarterly basis. And beyond the borders of the nation, many companies stretch out their distributions to bi-annual or even annual payments. The argument is that only after the company does its business and its fiscal year is wrapped up should it spread cash crumbs out to pesky shareholders.But that's not how the folks residing in C-Suites view their own renumerations. They prefer to pay themselves every so many weeks with bonuses and other perks throughout the year.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsBut there is a collection of companies that don't see shareholders as a burden -- but rather as the rightful owners of the company. And as such, they are paid regularly each and every month, often with rising levels of distributions for attractive dividend yields. And these yields work to build up a retirement portfolio more quickly through reinvestment. Later they will provide monthly income.Moreover, the dividends paid are ample. Every one of the stocks in the following collection yields more than the average S&P 500 yield -- which is a mere 1.8%. And in many cases, the dividend yields are multiples of that average.Where do these monthly dividend stocks come from? These companies tend to be cash-cow businesses that provide dependable profits. Because when you invest for dividends, you need to own stocks from companies that you can rely on.I've assembled a nice collection of stocks to bump up your own portfolio's cash payouts with monthly dividends. Monthly Dividend Stocks: Realty Income (O)Source: Chart by Bloomberg Dividend Yield: 3.7%Mention retailers and many investors will think of the doom brought by Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and other online behemoths. But a website can't replace all retail. In fact, one of the more pervasive members of the retail space actually benefits from the surge of online shopping. That would be FedEx (NYSE:FDX), which operates thousands of stores that facilitate all of the returns from American households' online spending sprees.Then there's another retail space that gets attention -- especially at the start of each year. Gyms are always in demand. Either for those that need or want to lose extra pounds or those that want to keep them off while staying in better health, gyms are a reliable part of the American retail space. And one of the leaders in this retail market space is LA Fitness, now owned by a private equity company called Mid-Ocean Partners.Then we have one of the major go-to retailers when it comes to picking up prescription drugs. Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) is one of the leaders in local pharmacies. It's also a prime place to pick up last-minute health, beauty, food and household items. Even Amazon's Amazon Now can't always compete. * 8 of the Strangest Stocks Worth Your Time And one of the other prime retail spaces that's also a defense against online vendors belongs to the super-discounted dollar stores. These stores are found in urban, suburban and rural areas where they provide bargain buys that are made by all kinds of consumers on a regular basis. They tend to have sticky and reliable customers making for good retail space. And two of the leaders include Dollar General (NYSE:DG) and Dollar Tree (NASDAQ:DLTR). Realty Income Is All About Retail What do the five companies all have in common? They are all long-term triple-net lease customers of Realty Income (NYSE:O). Triple-net leases are arrangements where tenants pay rent as well as taxes, general upkeep and insurance costs. This setup limits risks and expenses for the owners of the leased properties.Realty Income is a real estate investment trust (REIT). Its top tenants are represented by the companies above, leasing thousands of properties across the American marketplace.Revenues are rising across the portfolio, with gains running on an average annual basis of 9.1% over the past three years alone.This supports a nice monthly dividend distribution, which Realty Income continues to raise at an average annual rate of 4.4% over the past five years alone. And with a current dividend yield of 3.7% it too makes for a great monthly inflation-trouncing dividend payer. O stock will round out my nice collection for your retirement portfolio right now. And to make it even better, thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, 20% of the dividend distribution income is deductible from taxable income for most individual investors. Main Street Capital (MAIN)Source: Chart by Bloomberg Dividend Yield: 6.7%Just as retail is being upended by market changes, so too is business banking. Traditional banks -- with onerous regulations and capital requirements -- are seeing more of their core lending markets taken over by a collection of companies designed to do just that.Main Street Capital (NYSE:MAIN) is set up as a business development company (BDC). BDCs are codified under the Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980. This act passed by Congress and signed by then-President Jimmy Carter came as the U.S. economy was in a pickle. Inflation was a problem and banks were reticent to lend to smaller and middle-market companies. Banks worried about the inflation risk of fixed lending facilities as well as the underlying credit risks in the business sector.The resulting legislation extended the Investment Companies Act of 1940, which enabled the formation of non-bank companies. These non-banks would be largely exempt from corporate income taxes if they made loans and equity participation investments in small and middle-market companies.These new companies functioned as pass-through securities. Investors receive the majority of profits -- and the majority isn't subject to corporate taxes. This means the companies have even more cash on hand for dividend distributions. Non-Bank Lenders Are a 'Main' Source of RevenueMain Street makes loans to companies in the $10 million to $100 million revenue range. This is exactly what the U.S. market needs. In the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, those traditional middle-market bank lenders have been largely sidelined. They face intense regulatory and capital rules stemming from post-crisis legislative and administrative responses. And while there's been a great deal of reform, many have turned to Main Street and other non-bank lenders.Main Street gets to make loans with fewer costs. The result is that its efficiency ratio (a prime measure of the cost to earn each dollar of revenue) is a fraction of those of middle-market lending banks. This means that its costs are lower, and profitability is much higher.Revenues are rising with gains running at an annual basis of 12.3% on average over the past three years. * 7 Stocks That Are Screaming Buys Right Now The revenues and profitability fuel a rising dividend distribution which has been climbing by an average annual rate of 2.7% over the past five years. And with a monthly payout yielding an annual rate of 5.7%, Main Street is a great way to earn monthly dividend payouts. But it gets a little better. The company has been introducing regular special dividend payments including two last year. This brings the annual dividend to a yield of 6.7%. EPR Properties (EPR)Source: Chart by Bloomberg Dividend Yield: 6.4%EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) is a REIT which focuses on a very risk-controlled and efficient way to profit from real estate assets -- triple-net leases. In a triple-net lease, the tenant is also responsible for taxes, insurance and general maintenance costs, hence the term "triple." Realty Income uses the same arrangements.This means that EPR acquires properties that have few additional costs over their leased lifespans. What does this mean? There are fewer management costs and less uncertainty. For EPR, there's also less risk from changes in taxes or insurance costs. Because of this, EPR can run more efficiently in its operations. This means more certainty in cash flows from its portfolio of properties. That cash in turn supports more stable revenues for dividend payouts.EPR focuses on educational properties, entertainment facilities and resort properties. It wants to both educate your children and keep them entertained on holiday. It's a profitable dynamic. Books and Movies and Water Parks, Oh MyFor eager students, educational properties include early educational centers and both charter and private schools. These provide stable, reliable tenants that commit to long-term leases. In order to retain their student populations, it is more likely that these educational tenants will renew their long-term leases.The entertainment facilities are largely leased to movie "megaplex" theaters from both national and international chains.Rounding out its holdings are a varied mix of resort facilities. These properties include major ski resorts like Camelback Mountain, resorts and golf courses from operator Topgolf. And EPR also owns a collection of water parks in prime locations. All of these benefit from the consumer trend of experience spending which supports longer-term commitments from the operators of the properties and facilities.All in all, the properties of EPR have been increasing revenues significantly with average annual gains running at 18.5% for the past three years alone.The triple-net leases from the properties continue to support significant dividend distributions. The distributions continue to rise by an average annual basis of 5.6% over the past five years alone. And with a current yield of 6.4%, EPR is a great monthly dividend payer. And like for other U.S. REITs, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provided a line-item tax break for individual investors with a 20% deduction in taxable income from the dividend distributions. This shows up in the 1099-DIV form in Box 5 provided by your brokerage, bank or investment company.Neil George was once an all-star bond trader, but now he works morning and night to steer readers away from traps -- and into safe, top-performing income investments. Neil's new income program is a cash-generating machine … one that can help you collect $208 every day the market's open. Neil does not have any holdings in the securities mentioned above. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 8 of the Strangest Stocks Worth Your Time * 7 Stocks to Buy That Trump's Tax Cut Truly Rewarded * 5 Stocks That Could Double in 2020 The post 3 Monthly Dividend Stocks to Buy That You Can Rely On appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Benzinga
Credit Suisse Needs Better Visibility Into Walgreens Earnings Growth
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ: WBA ) reported weak operating results for the fiscal first quarter. However, the company’s operating underperformance was offset by a favorable tax rate and some acceleration ...
- Benzinga
Walgreens Isn't Getting Closer To Turning Sickness To Health
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ: WBA) reported its first fiscal quarter earnings on Wednesday, January 8 before the market opened. Wall Street expected $34.6 billion in revenue and earnings per share of $1.41. Despite rumours that that the global pharmacy chain could be taken private in a massive leveraged buyout but Chief Executive, Stefano Pessina, didn't address this speculation but rather emphasized that the company is making a progress in reinventing new services and digitizing its drugstore chain.
- Barrons.com
Walgreens Stock Is Sinking, but Not Far Enough for These Analysts
The stock continued to fall Thursday morning as a number of analysts declined to seize on the drop as a buying opportunity.
- Yahoo Finance
Digital health company Livongo looks to boost market share with new partnership
Digital health brands turn to traditional partnerships to grow.
- Bloomberg
Microsoft Pushes Cloud Services to Retailers Anxious to Avoid Amazon
(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. is unveiling new cloud tools designed for retail customers, seeking to position itself as an alternative to Amazon.com Inc. and corporate software companies like Slack Technologies Inc. and Salesforce.com Inc.Microsoft is adding a feature to its Slack rival, the Teams corporate chat program, that lets store workers push a button to turn their mobile phones into walkie-talkies for in-store communications. In a speech on Jan. 12 at a retail industry event, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella plans to discuss how Ikea shifted more than 70,000 workers to Teams, using the service for meetings and chat. The home furnishing giant’s largest store, in Stockholm, also started using a scheduling feature to manage the shifts of 150 restaurant staffers.Ikea is also working with Microsoft to determine if Teams can play a role in its “store of the future” concepts. The Swedish company may put video screens in stores that use Teams to connect customers with kitchen design advisers, said Kenneth Lindegaard, an Ikea vice president. The company plans to have the rest of its 165,000-person workforce on Office 365 cloud software and Teams by the end of spring, although Ikea still has some smaller groups using Slack and Google’s G Suite, he said. Ikea also uses Microsoft’s Azure and Google Cloud, he said.The retail industry has been one of Microsoft’s most successful as the software maker tries to gain ground in cloud computing against market leader Amazon Web Services and lure more customers to its internet-based Office products. Some retailers are loath to work with e-commerce rival Amazon. Nadella and Google Cloud chief Thomas Kurian are set to speak next week at the annual show of the National Retail Federation, the biggest retail trade group, underscoring how significant the industry is to Amazon’s biggest cloud competitors. “A key part of our offering is that we partner and we don’t compete,” said Shelley Bransten, the vice president who oversees Microsoft’s work with retailers and consumer goods companies. But there are other benefits to working closely with retailers, she said in an interview. Some of the software products built for retailers will be useful for companies in other industries.For example, the walkie-talkie feature in Teams can help manufacturers, said Emma Williams, a Microsoft vice president who is charged with adding features to Office and Teams for use by customers in health care, retail, manufacturing and finance. Microsoft explained the new features in a blog post Thursday ahead of Nadella’s speech in New York, the CEO’s first appearance at the retail conference.Retail customers are also key to Microsoft’s competition with Salesforce, the leader in cloud-based customer relations software. Microsoft announced the official release of its Dynamics Commerce software for helping retailers manage inventory, scheduling, call centers, e-commerce sites and in-store operations. The company said outerwear maker Canada Goose Holdings Inc. has been using it. Microsoft also provided new details on how some previously announced Azure customers are working with its products. One year ago, Microsoft said Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. would begin using Azure and deploy Microsoft 365—a collection of software that includes Windows 10, Office cloud services and security and mobile-management software—to the pharmacy giant’s more than 380,000 workers. Now Walgreens will try Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 goggles for worker training and the drugstore chain also is using Microsoft products to anonymously track shoppers’ steps, in order to better plan store layouts. Microsoft is also targeting another lucrative Amazon business — digital advertising for products on retailers’ websites. In August, Microsoft acquired New York-based PromoteIQ, which helps companies like Kroger Co. and Kohl’s Corp. sell ads on their websites to companies who want prime placement for their goods. Nadella will announce Home Depot has also signed up for the service.To contact the author of this story: Dina Bass in Seattle at dbass2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Pollack at apollack1@bloomberg.net, Jillian WardFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
- Barrons.com
The Dow Rose 161 Points Because President Trump Is Showing Restraint
Stocks rallied after Trump suggested that Iran “appears to be standing down” after striking Iraq bases that house American troops, and didn’t call for counterstrike. Oil and gold retreated.
- InvestorPlace
Dow Jones Today: Trump’s Iran Comments and Jobs Data Spark Stocks
Equities rebounded Wednesday despite a batch of Iran-related headlines last night after President Trump sounded a clear, decisive tone on dealing with the republic and as private payroll data for December gave investors hope the economy will remain sturdy in 2020.Source: Charts Provided by Finviz * The S&P 500 surged 0.49% * The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.56% * The Nasdaq Composite tacked on 0.67% * On a day when risk was on, UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH), often viewed as a defensive name, was the Dow's best-performing name with a gain of 2.09%.On Tuesday evening, Iran launched missile strikes against U.S. military installations in Iraq. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported and there is some speculation that Iran missed on purpose. Still, those attacks, futile as they may have been, earned a stinging rebuke from the White House with President Trump promising swift retaliation for any attacks that cost American lives and new economic sanctions against Iran. As for the Tuesday night attacks, it appears U.S. forces were more than ready. * 7 Stocks to Buy That Trump's Tax Cut Truly Rewarded "Most of Iran's missiles are liquid-fueled, which take longer to get ready for launch and are easier to spot. The actual launch is detected by infrared satellites, which can see the plumes and predict the trajectory," reports CBS News.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsIn economic news, the ADP private payroll survey showed the addition of 202,000 private sector jobs last month, easily topping the forecast of 150,000 jobs. The Labor Department releases its December jobs report Friday before the open of U.S. markets with economists expecting the addition of 160,000 roles. Boeing AgainIn late trading, 23 of the 30 Dow stocks were higher, but Boeing (NYSE:BA) wasn't one of them. Earlier today, a Boeing 737 passenger operated by a Ukranian airline crashed, killing the 167 passengers and nine crew members aboard, soon after departing the Iranian capital of Tehran.There is some speculation that this crash was the result of an engine failure, but as the crash occurred in Iranian territory and authorities from that country are in possession of the plane's black boxes, the world may never know the true cause of this unfortunate accident.Compounding Boeing's Wednesday woes, Cowen analyst Cai von Rumohr downgraded the stock to "hold" from "buy" with a new price target of $371, down from $419. Walgreens WoesAs I noted yesterday, Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) was scheduled to report earnings this morning and the company did just that. However, investors may have wished the pharmacy operator kept quiet because the report resulted in a 5.84% decline for the stock, by far the worst performance in the Dow Jones today.Walgreens said it earned $1.37 per share on sales of $34.34 billion, but analyst were expecting earnings of $1.41 a share on revenue of $34.60 billion. Finally, Some Good NewsWe're just a few days into 2020 and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), one of the Dow's top 2019 performers, hasn't been mentioned here as of yet, but today is a good time to change that. The stock climbed nearly 1.6%, as Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss reiterated an "outperform" rating on the name with big price target boost to $189 from $157."Strong positioning for ramping public cloud adoption, large distribution channels and installed customer base, and improve margins support a path well beyond $1 trillion market cap for Microsoft," Weiss said in a note to clients. Charge It UpVisa (NYSE:V) was also among the top Dow stocks today as MoffettNathanson analyst Lisa Ellis reiterated "buy" ratings on that name and rival Mastercard (NYSE:MA). Her new price target on Visa is $230, implying significant upside to today's close of just over $192. * 10 2019 Winners That Will Be 2020 Losers Interestingly, Dow component American Express (NYSE:AXP) joined the credit card party, posting a Wednesday gain of almost 2%. Bottom Line on the Dow Jones TodayIt's not too late for fun and informative historical trends and anecdotes that could be relevant this year. The S&P 500 notched 150 up days last year, a rare occurrence to be sure. In five previous years of that happening, the benchmark U.S. equity gauge finished higher on an annual basis the following year four times, according to Schaeffer's Investment Research.Hopefully, that trend repeats in 2020.As of this writing, Todd Shriber did not own any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Stocks to Buy That Could Double for a Second-Consecutive Year * 7 Stocks to Sell to Start the New Year Fresh * 5 Cheap, High-Yield Dividend Stocks for Investors in 2020 The post Dow Jones Today: Trump's Iran Comments and Jobs Data Spark Stocks appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Investor's Business Daily
Walgreens Earnings Worse Than Expected; Dow Jones Stock Tumbles
Walgreens earnings fell more than expected, while sales also came in light for the Dow Jones drug giant. Walgreens stock sold off Wednesday.
