Trade Walgreen Boots Alliance - WBA CFD

Walgreen Company profile

What is Walgreen Boots Alliance?

Walgreen Boots Alliance is one of the largest pharmacy chains in the world. It is is split into three business segments: Retail Pharmacy Wholesale, Retail Pharmacy USA and Retail Pharmacy International. The company’s portfolio of retail and business brands includes Walgreens, Duane Reade, Boots and Alliance Healthcare. Among its health and beauty product brands are such household names as No7, Soap & Glory, Liz Earle and Botanics.

WBA also has one of the largest global pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution networks. The company is one of the world’s biggest purchasers of prescription drugs and many other health and wellbeing products. Walgreen Boots Alliance says its aim is to “help people across the world lead healthier and happier lives”.

Who are the key people at Walgreen Boots Alliance?

Stefano Pessina is Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance. The Italian-born billionaire’s career in the healthcare industry spans four decades. As Executive Deputy Chairman of Alliance UniChem, he led the company's landmark merger with Boots Group PLC in 2006. His voice carries a lot of weight in the sector.

WBA has two Co-Chief Operating Officers: Alex Gourlay and Ornella Barra. James A. Skinner serves as Executive Chairman. 

What is the modern history of Walgreen Boots Alliance?

Walgreen Boots Alliance was established on December 31, 2014 after Walgreens, the US pharmacy store giant, purchased the 55% of Alliance Boots that it didn’t already own. Alliance Boots was a UK and Switzerland-based health and beauty group formed in 2006 through the merger of high street chain Boots and European pharmacy group Alliance UniChem.

What are the latest developments at Walgreen Boots Alliance?

It’s been a time of consolidation in the US healthcare industry, partly prompted by Amazon’s announcement that it is entering the sector to try to lower costs for patients. Some observers think Amazon could use its distribution expertise to undercut existing healthcare firms.

Walgreen Boots Alliance has been very active in pursuing potential deals. In September 2017, it agreed to buy 1,932 Rite Aid stores and three distribution centres for almost $4.4 billion in cash. WBA had previously sought to buy all of Rite Aid, but antitrust scrutiny scuppered the proposed deal.

In February 2018 it was reported that deal talks between Walgreens Boots Alliance and AmerisourceBergen about an acquisition of the wholesale drug distributor had ended without agreement. Walgreens already has a 26 per cent stake in Amerisource. 

Since Walgreen Boots Alliance was founded at the end of 2014, the WBA share price has gone from $76 to a peak of $96 in July 2015 and back down to just $64 in October 2017. On 1 March 2018 the share price stood at $70.20, giving the company a market capitalisation of around $69.5 billion.

Our WBA chart tracks the ups and downs of the company’s share price over recent weeks and months.

Where does Walgreen Boots Alliance operate?

Walgreens Boots Alliance and the companies in which it has equity method investments have a presence in more than 25 countries around the world, with a total of over 13,000 stores. WBA also has one of the biggest global pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution networks, with over 390 distribution centres delivering to some 230,000 hospitals, health centres, pharmacies and doctors each year in over 20 countries. WBA is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.

Where is Walgreen Boots Alliance traded?

Walgreen is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Check out Capital.com for the latest WBA chart.