NWF Advisory Services Inc. Sells 3,535 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

NWF Advisory Services Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,485 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,535 shares during the period. NWF Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Avion Wealth lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 166.2% during the first quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 197 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $164.55 on Wednesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $137.23 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $183.04 and a 200-day moving average of $188.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $255.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.00.

Key Astrazeneca News

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Negative Sentiment: AstraZeneca is facing investor-law-firm investigations after the Wainua trial miss and the related stock drop, adding headline risk and potential litigation over alleged securities claims. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: HSBC downgraded AstraZeneca and lowered its price target after the Wainua setback, saying the failure removes a central support for the company’s bullish outlook and leaves a tougher catalyst path ahead. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A second investor alert from Levi & Korsinsky highlighted the Wainua phase 3 miss and encouraged shareholders to seek recovery of losses, reinforcing the negative sentiment around the trial failure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS remained constructive ahead of AstraZeneca’s second-quarter results, saying it expects solid earnings but limited room for full-year guidance increases. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca also announced an exclusive global licensing deal for a lung-cancer pill from China’s Dizal Pharmaceutical, paying $600 million upfront with up to $900 million in milestones. The deal could strengthen its oncology pipeline and supports longer-term growth. Article Title

About Astrazeneca

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.