Professional Advisory Services Inc. Buys New Stake in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Professional Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZNFree Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 161,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,241,000. Astrazeneca makes up about 3.6% of Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

NYSE AZN opened at $161.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $250.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $145.79 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $176.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZNGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, June 26th. HSBC lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.00.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on AZN

Astrazeneca Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN)

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