Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC cut its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 39.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,524 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,185 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $3,456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $188.58 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $137.23 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The stock has a market cap of $292.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $184.66 and a 200 day moving average of $187.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.