AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 9.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,136 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 543 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 61,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,167,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. GM Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Nordwand Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 44.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordwand Advisors LLC now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Barclays upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Citigroup raised shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $77.99 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $77.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $80.86. The stock has a market cap of $241.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.23, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.08. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. The business had revenue of $12.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.92 billion. Analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.