Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Buys 10,722 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 441.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,151 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,722 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,308,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 98,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,223,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 108.9% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 27,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,756,000 after purchasing an additional 14,127 shares during the last quarter. Argos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $655,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,595,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 32,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,758,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE:AZN opened at $187.70 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $193.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $181.67. The stock has a market cap of $291.11 billion, a PE ratio of 28.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $132.32 and a 52 week high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. As a group, analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 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.