AstraZeneca Plc $AZN Shares Acquired by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 51,760 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,043 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $8,358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Professional Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,241,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth $2,296,000. Andra AP fonden raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 122.9% in the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 526,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,876,000 after buying an additional 290,412 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1,564.8% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 28,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,648,000 after buying an additional 27,056 shares during the period. Finally, Westport Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,422,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NYSE AZN opened at $186.74 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $167.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.26. The company has a market capitalization of $289.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.41, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.24. AstraZeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $153.41 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 31.85% and a net margin of 17.68%. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised AstraZeneca from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Sunday, August 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $198.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 31st. Nordea Equity Research upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $206.67.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines, with a focus on oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Its research and commercial operations serve patients and healthcare systems across more than 100 countries. AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes medicines for cancer, respiratory and immune-mediated conditions, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, and rare disorders.