World Investment Advisors Sells 13,319 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

World Investment Advisors lessened its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 49.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 13,779 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,319 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,076,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Visionary Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 4,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Vista Investment Management raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 21,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,723,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 3,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:AZN traded up $2.58 on Tuesday, hitting $192.74. The stock had a trading volume of 240,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,476,741. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $183.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $188.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $298.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. Analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current year.

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.