As of today (2026-06-29), Walgreens Boots Alliance's weighted average cost of capital is 4.39%%. Walgreens Boots Alliance's ROIC % is -4.56% (calculated using TTM income statement data).
Walgreens Boots Alliance earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.
*Note: The beta of this company cannot be obtained because it has a price history shorter than 3 years. It will thus be set to 1 as default to calculate WACC.
For a comprehensive WACC calculation, please access the WACC Calculator.
Because it costs money to raise capital. A firm that generates higher ROIC % than it costs the company to raise the capital needed for that investment is earning excess returns. A firm that expects to continue generating positive excess returns on new investments in the future will see its value increase as growth increases, whereas a firm that earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital will destroy value as it grows.
As of today, Walgreens Boots Alliance's weighted average cost of capital is 4.39%%. Walgreens Boots Alliance's ROIC % is -4.56% (calculated using TTM income statement data).
Walgreens Boots Alliance earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.
*Note: The beta of this company cannot be obtained because it has a price history shorter than 3 years. It will thus be set to 1 as default to calculate WACC.
Be Aware
1. GuruFocus uses book value of debt (D) to do the calculation. It is simplified by adding latest one-year quarterly average Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation together.
For companies that report quarterly, GuruFocus combines all of the most recent year's quarterly debt data from the beginning of the year to the year-end and calculates the average.
For companies that report semi-annually, GuruFocus combines all of the most recent year's semi-annual debt data from the start of the year to the year-end and calculates the average.
For companies that report annually, GuruFocus combines the beginning and ending annual debt data from the most recent year and then calculates the average.
2. The WACC formula discussed above does not include Preferred Stock. Please adjust if preferred stock is considered.
3. (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return) is also called market premium. GuruFocus requires market premium to be 6%.
4. GuruFocus uses the latest TTM Interest Expense divided by the latest one-year quarterly average debt to get the simplified cost of debt.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Pharmaceutical Retailers subindustry, Walgreens Boots Alliance's WACC %, along with its competitors' market caps and WACC % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Walgreens Boots Alliance WACC % vs Healthcare Providers & Services Industry
For the Healthcare Providers & Services industry and Healthcare sector, Walgreens Boots Alliance's WACC % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Walgreens Boots Alliance's WACC % falls into.
The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. The WACC is commonly referred to as the firm's cost of capital. Generally speaking, a company's assets are financed by debt and equity. WACC is the average of the costs of these sources of financing, each of which is weighted by its respective use in the given situation. By taking a weighted average, we can see how much interest the company has to pay for every dollar it finances.
WACC
=
E
/
(E + D)
*
Cost of Equity
+
D
/
(E + D)
*
Cost of Debt
*
(1 - Tax Rate)
1. Weights:
Generally speaking, a company's assets are financed by debt and equity. We need to calculate the weight of equity and the weight of debt.
The market value of equity (E) is also called "Market Cap". As of today, Walgreens Boots Alliance's market capitalization (E) is ARS14009603.649 Mil.
The market value of debt is typically difficult to calculate, therefore, GuruFocus uses book value of debt (D) to do the calculation. It is simplified by adding the latest one-year quarterly average Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation together. As of May. 2025, Walgreens Boots Alliance's latest one-year quarterly average Book Value of Debt (D) is ARS31205211.121 Mil.
a) weight of equity = E / (E + D) = 14009603.649 / (14009603.649 + 31205211.121) = 0.3098
b) weight of debt = D / (E + D) = 31205211.121 / (14009603.649 + 31205211.121) = 0.6902
2. Cost of Equity:
GuruFocus uses Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to calculate the required rate of return. The formula is:
Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate of Return + Beta of Asset * (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return)
a) GuruFocus uses 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate as the risk-free rate. It is updated daily. The current risk-free rate is 4.378%. Please go to Economic Indicators page for more information. Please note that we use the 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate of the country/region where the company is headquartered. If the data for that country/region is not available, then we will use the 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate of the United States as default.
b) Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. Walgreens Boots Alliance's beta cannot be obtained because it has a price history shorter than 3 years. It will thus be set to 1 as default to calculate WACC.
c) (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return) is also called market premium. GuruFocus requires market premium to be 6%.
Cost of Equity = 4.378% + 1 * 6% = 10.378%
3. Cost of Debt:
GuruFocus uses latest TTM Interest Expense divided by the latest one-year quarterly average debt to get the simplified cost of debt.
As of May. 2025, Walgreens Boots Alliance's interest expense (positive number) was ARS529001.941 Mil. Its total Book Value of Debt (D) is ARS31205211.121 Mil.
Cost of Debt = 529001.941 / 31205211.121 = 1.6952%.
4. Multiply by one minus TTM Tax Rate:
GuruFocus uses the most recent TTM Tax Expense divided by the most recent TTM Pre-Tax Income to calculate the tax rate. The calculated TTM tax rate is limited to between 0% and 100%. If the calculated tax rate is higher than 100%, it is set to 100%. If the calculated tax rate is less than 0%, it is set to 0%.
The latest calculated TTM Tax Rate = 1929760.862 / -6060667.37 = -31.84%, which is less than 0%. Therefore it's set to 0%.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Walgreens Boots Alliance (BUE:WBA) has a WACC % of 4.39% as of Jun. 29, 2026. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the average rate a company pays to finance assets. View historical data on Walgreens Boots Alliance and its competitors. This is 14% below median its historical median of 5.10. Over the past decade, Walgreens Boots Alliance's WACC % has ranged from 1.80 to 11.59.
Is Walgreens Boots Alliance's WACC % too high?
Walgreens Boots Alliance's current WACC % of 4.39% is 14% below median its 10-year median of 5.10. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 1.80 to a high of 11.59. The Healthcare Providers & Services industry median WACC % is 8.50. Walgreens Boots Alliance's value of 4.39% is 48.4% below this industry median. Overall, Walgreens Boots Alliance has a GF Score™ of 15/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Walgreens Boots Alliance's WACC % compare to WGRX and PETS?
Walgreens Boots Alliance's WACC % of 4.39% can be compared against companies in the Healthcare Providers & Services industry. The industry median WACC % is 8.50. Walgreens Boots Alliance's value of 4.39% is 48.4% below this benchmark. Historically, Walgreens Boots Alliance's own WACC % has ranged from 1.80 to 11.59 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 5.10 vs. the industry median of 8.50, Walgreens Boots Alliance has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good WACC % for a Healthcare Providers & Services company?
The median WACC % among Healthcare Providers & Services companies is 8.50, based on 691 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a WACC % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, WACC % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Walgreens Boots Alliance's current WACC % of 4.39% is 48.4% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high WACC % mean?
A high WACC % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the average rate a company pays to finance assets. View historical data on Walgreens Boots Alliance and its competitors. For the Healthcare Providers & Services industry, the median WACC % is 8.50 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Walgreens Boots Alliance's current WACC % is 4.39%, which is 14% below median its own 10-year median of 5.10. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Walgreens Boots Alliance stock overvalued right now?
Walgreens Boots Alliance (BUE:WBA) has a current WACC % of 4.39%. The current WACC % is 4.39%, which is 14% below median its 10-year median of 5.10 and 48.4% below the Healthcare Providers & Services industry median of 8.50. Walgreens Boots Alliance's overall GF Score™ is 15/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is WACC % calculated?
WACC % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Walgreens Boots Alliance (BUE:WBA), the current WACC % is 4.39% as of Jun. 29, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Walgreens Boots Alliance is one of the largest retail pharmacy chains in the US, with over 8,000 locations. Nearly three quarters of Americans live within five miles of a Walgreens location. Roughly two thirds of revenue is generated from prescription drug sales; Walgreens makes up 20% of total prescription revenue in the US. Walgreens also generates sales from retail products (general wellness consumables and its own branded merchandise), European drug wholesale, and healthcare. With more locations incorporating additional services like Health Corner and Village Medical, Walgreens creates an omnichannel experience for patients and positions itself as a one-stop healthcare provider.
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