Natural Investments LLC Buys Shares of 13,360 Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Natural Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 13,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,533,000.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.67.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE:AZN opened at $162.43 on Wednesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $145.79 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $170.58 and a 200 day moving average of $184.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $251.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.25.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.17 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.