World Investment Advisors Sells 13,319 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

World Investment Advisors trimmed its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 49.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 13,779 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,319 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 212.5% in the first quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,914,000 after purchasing an additional 30,746 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth $325,000. Vertrix Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $650,000. USS Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $49,634,000. Finally, Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $1,327,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Astrazeneca stock traded up $2.58 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $192.74. 240,661 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,476,741. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $137.23 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $298.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.95, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.24. The company’s fifty day moving average is $183.97 and its 200-day moving average is $188.38.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 EPS for the current year.

Astrazeneca 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.