Kestra Advisory Services LLC Sells 56,779 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Kestra Advisory Services LLC trimmed its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 56.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,828 shares of the company’s stock after selling 56,779 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $8,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $169.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $263.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $183.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.67. 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 Plc has a 1-year low of $137.23 and a 1-year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Astrazeneca News

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca struck an exclusive global license deal for the lung-cancer drug Zegfrovy, a move that could strengthen its oncology pipeline and long-term growth prospects. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Buy rating ahead of second-quarter results, saying AstraZeneca should deliver solid earnings and revenue. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts from both the U.S. and U.K. cited a mixed setup, with some optimism on near-term results but limited scope for AstraZeneca to raise full-year guidance. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: HSBC downgraded AstraZeneca to Hold and cut its price target after the Wainua Phase 3 failure, saying the setback weakens the stock’s bull case. Article Title

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.