Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. Cuts Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. trimmed its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 49.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,116 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,862 shares during the quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $190.93 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $184.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.32. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $137.23 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $296.11 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.25.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 EPS 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.